Anti-corruption prosecutors have conducted searches on Wednesday morning at the headquarters of Unitatea – Sindicatul Liber (USL) Metro/ the Subway’s Trade Union, in the case opened after the criminal complaint made in the spring by the Ministry of Transport, following the metro trade unionists’ strike.
The searches are also being carried out at the homes of several people, including the residence of the subway union leader Ion Rădoi in Sinaia, according to judicial sources quoted by Digi24.
Anti-corruption prosecutors also went down to the premises of two Bucharest district municipalities, respectively to the District 3 City Hall and to the District 5 City Hall. Investigators seized documents probing into why commercial premises at the subway are still operating in these two districts, although their demolition process began in April.
“Prosecutors from the National Anti-corruption Directorate – Section for Combating Crimes Assimilated to Corruption Crimes are investigating a criminal case involving suspicions of committing crimes assimilated to corruption, committed between 2018 and 2021. During July 14, 2021, following the obtaining of legal authorizations from the competent court, home searches are carried out in 16 locations located in Bucharest and Prahova and Ilfov counties, of which 3 are the headquarters of public institutions. In this case, the prosecutors benefit from the support of the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Gendarmerie”, DNA reported.
The searches come after the management of the Ministry of Transport had filed a complaint to the DNA in the spring this year following the trade unionists’ spontaneous protest that stopped the subway traffic one day.
The deeds investigated in the file are abuse of office, influence peddling, foiling disease prevention.
On the day of the strike, many people had to crowd in the surface public transportation means to get to work. Bucharesters were then taken by surprise by the subway strike, which had not been announced in advance.
Who is Ion Radoi, the metro trade union leader?
Ion Rădoi, the leader of the Free Trade Union of the Romanian Subway, targeted by the anti-corruption prosecutors’ investigation, has held the reins of the union in the underground of the Capital for more than 15 years, when he was also elected as MP on behalf of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).
In time, Rădoi’s trade union has seized control over the commercial and advertising premises in the subway, with huge profits from that going into the trade union’s and Radoi’s pockets. In 2019 the trade union’s company had a turnover of 9 million lei, of which 6.2 million profit.
Rădoi was often at the center of major subway scandals, always being in conflict with many of the transport ministers and often threatening a general strike in the case of negotiations that did not take place according to the union’s wishes.