Basescu warns the Comarnic-Brasov highway project is already a hotbed of corruption

Newsroom 26/06/2014 | 08:34

President Traian Basescu used the opportunity of Ioan Rus’s induction ceremony as the new Minister of Transport to draw attention to the Comarnic-Brasov highway development project, where the president warns there have been acts of corruption.

“I am warning you, you are about to lead a ministry with issues. You have to be especially wary of the contract clauses for the Comarnic-Brasov highway. I have information that there have already been acts of corruption. Likewise, there have been feasibility studies that cost EUR 50 million but won’t be valid in 2 years time. There are already companies that received “gifts”. I beseech you to investigate these matters before getting into your term”, Basescu said to Rus, after the latter was sworn in.

Dan Sova, the previous Transport minister, didn’t manage during his four-month term to sign the contract for one of the most anticipated highway projects: Comarnic-Brasov. The prime-minister and Dan Sova met in January with the representatives of Vinci-Strabag-Aktor, winners of the public auction for building the 57-km highway. The two parties signed a memorandum, with the promise to sign the contract by April. Construction works should’ve started by the end of April, and the project should’ve been delivered by 2017 at a cost of EUR 1.8 billion.

The signing was eventually postponed till June, a good thing, according to Dan Sova, then Transport Minister, because the postponement allowed for BERD and Romania’s other financial partners to convey their support for the project.