Minister of National Defence Mihnea Motoc has ordered the establishment, at the Defence Ministry, of a committee to examine the fulfilment of the legal requirements for the advancement in rank, from Colonel to Brigadier General of the General (r.) Gabriel Oprea.
“Following the complaints and requests for information, coming from journalists, regarding the fulfilment of the legal requirements for the advancement from the rank of Colonel to the one of Brigadier General of the General (r.) Gabriel Oprea, the Minister of National Defence has ordered the establishment, at the MoD, of a commission to examine the issues. The results of this analysis will be promptly communicated to the media and to the public opinion,” a press release from the Ministry of Defence issued on Tuesday reads.
Gabriel Oprea was decorated by two presidents: Emil Constantinescu, who in 2000 awarded him the Order of the Star of Romania and Ion Iliescu, who awarded him the National Order for Faithful Service in the rank of Knight in 2002. In October 2009, President Traian Basescu advanced him in rank by decree, Gabriel Oprea becoming a retired four-star General.