UPDATE: Editorial board of Realitatea Media decided

UPDATE: Mass-media pundits Emil Hurezeanu, Mihai Tatulici, Corina Dragotescu and Roxana Niculescu will be part of the editorial board of the Realitatea Media, according to a press release of businessman Sebastian Ghita, shareholder in Asesoft, the company that is in charge with the management of Realitatea Media group.

A meeting between Ghita and Sorin Freciu, president of the administration board of Realitatea Media, will take place in order to “harmonize” the points of view of the two companies, after each of the two parties accused the other of interfering in the editorial policy.

Meanwhile, the administration board of the Realitatea Media decided on Wednesday to demand the General Shareholders’ Assembly of Realitatea Media the cease of the contract with Asesoft. The general assembly of the shareholders will take place on April 27 and 28.

On the other hand, Ghita said the management contract that Realitatea Media signed with Asesoft can only be annulled in court. “We do not have any matter to take to court. We will keep this contract. They should, if they so wish, take the matter to the court,” Ghita said for Mediafax newswire.

Previously, Ghita forwarded a complaint at the Court of Justice against the owner of the media group, Sorin Ovidiu Vantu, whom he accuses of blackmail.

“During extremely tense meetings related to the management and editorial activity of the Realitatea Media group, Mr. Sorin Ovidiu Vantu and his associates insisted that we change the conditions of the management contract and sign an additional document that would allow them to impose conditions in the editorial activity. It was really surprising for us to realize that after discussions failed, Mr. Sorin Ovidiu Vantu and his associates decided to use totally immoral and illegal means such as blackmail and threat,” according to the press statement of Asesoft International, sent to Mediafax newswire.

The administration board of the company accused media mogul Sorin Ovidiu Vantu of allegedly “heading a mafia group” and being “involved in organized crime activities (money laundry, scams, blackmail, using physical violence etc.).

The Asesoft administration board announced it is willing to use “all necessary legal means” to preserve the EUR 10 million investment it made in Realitatea Media and also demand from state institutions “the protection of the life and physical integrity of the members of the administration board and their families.”

During a previous press release, the Asesoft administration board said it had acted in the benefit of Realitatea Media and did not interfere in the editorial policy of the TV channel.

On April 5, the administration board of Realitatea Media was called to analyze the execution of the management contract by Asesoft, represented by Sebastian Ghita, “to urge him to respect the clauses of the contract and, if this fails, to dismiss him.”

There were also other reasons for the meeting.

“Recently, the general manager of Realitatea Media made a complaint after forged documents were used to close a space-rental contract between Asesoft and state company Coresi. A series of other managerial decisions endangered the activity of several business units in the group. Under the management of Asesoft, there were delays in the payment of debts to the state budget, following which the accounts of Realitatea Media were blocked. These are just several examples which represent an attempt to sabotage Realitatea Media,” as emerged from the press release of the media group.

According to the same source, “Asesoft, via Mr. Sebastian Ghita, were aggressively involved in the editorial strategy and the programs of the TV channel, which even endangered the broadcasting of the channel.”

Rumors of tensions between Ghita and the owner of the media group, Sorin Ovidiu Vantu (pictured) made headlines last week.

The administration board of Realitatea Media decided that the editorial manager Catalin Popa and the editorial-in-chief of the news department, Madalina Dulama, to be replaced.

On March 27, Vantu tried to evacuate Ghita out of the building. “Sorin Ovidiu Vantu came this afternoon at Realitatea TV with a new administrator and a new security company. He intends to replace manager Sebastian Ghita,” according to sources in the Realitatea- Media group, quoted by Evenimentul Zilei daily.

The reason for the tensions seems to be the fact that Ghita allegedly tried to limit Vantu’s influence in the editorial policy of Realitatea TV.
Otilia Haraga

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