International Investigation: Ties of Geoana’s collaborator to Pro-Putin Businesswoman

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Lisa Schimdt, an associate of an internationally sanctioned Russian oligarch, bought a defunct consulting company from the son of Rareș Mănescu, according to the continuation of the international media investigation that sparked a public scandal between the independent presidential candidate and investigative journalists. The transaction took place during the period when Mănescu was among the coordinators of Mircea Geoană’s presidential campaign, Digi24 reports.

The investigation carried out by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) network, in which Context.ro, reporter.london, Delfi (Estonia) and Rise Moldova reporters participated, shows that the transaction took place between March and April 2024. Lisa Schimdt , which bought the consulting firm from the Mănescu family, collaborated with the Russian oligarch Moshe Kantor, the journalists claim. Specifically, they show that Schimdt was part of the Acron group, one of the largest producers of fertilizers in the Russian Federation, founded by the oligarch, for 12 years.

Rares and Ramona Manescu, photo: bugetu;.ro

“Besides the fact that I am a friend of the Mănescu family and I took over the consulting firm Oracle, which still has no activity, I am not aware of any political campaign of Mr. Geoană, nor do I know who he is. Moreover, I am not aware of the Mănescu family’s dealings with Mr. Kozlov (n.r. The Russian propagandist with whom Rareș Mănescu does business. Details, here)”, was Lisa Schmidt’s reaction to Context.ro.

Moshe Kantor, with an estimated fortune of $9 billion, was included on the European Union’s sanctions list shortly after the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine because he has a close relationship with Vladimir Putin, the source said.

Another investigation, published by the Dossier Center, showed that the oligarch was a business partner for decades with a former director of the Foreign Secret Service and secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation – Yuriy Zubakov.

Before being sanctioned, Moshe Kantor also had relations in Romania, as the cited international investigation also shows.

Journalists claim that the oligarch was decorated by President Traian Băsescu in 2014 for promoting the Jewish community, and in 2023 the press wrote that Liviu Dragnea had asked him for donations.

In the first part of the investigation, the journalists cited an internal email from the România Renaște organization, which is conducting an election campaign for Mircea Geoană, in which Mănescu appears as the Bucharest coordinator.

The spokeswoman of the România Renaște platform told Europa FM, a day ago, that Rareș Mănescu collaborated with Geoană’s supporters between February and May and that he was needed for “organizational experience”.

“He was one of the coordinators. I must mention that he did not have any kind of leadership position, even if he declared himself in e-mails as the head of the campaign, he has no real support”, said Alina Achim Inayeh.

Present on October 3 in the Digi24 studio, Mircea Geoană said that he did not know “what job” Rareș Mănescu had at Romania Renaște and emphasized that “he probably tried to help”.

The representatives of Mircea Geoană’s campaign avoid, however, the answer to two questions also addressed by Digi24.ro: 1. What exactly did Rareș Mănescu deal with in the “România Renaște” platform and 2. Why did Romania Renaște renounce the services of Rareș Mănescu? .

Rareș and Ramona Mănescu donated 14,200 euros to the Renaissance Foundation, whose president is Mihaela Geoană, at ​​a fundraiser organized in 2023.

“The foundation, because it has only one, the Renaissance Foundation. October 2023, a year ago, there is a bottom-raising operation to buy a modern mammo-van to go to the country, which was inaugurated yesterday, on October 1, the Day of the Fight against Breast Cancer. A year ago there was a fund raising gala with 120 people. 12 items were auctioned, they were bought, they went home and the money was donated to the foundation to buy this mammo-van with digital, with digital mammogram that can solve breast cancer problems in all the communes in this country. Mrs. Ramona Mănescu or the Mănescu family then bought, bid and bought. If someone tells me, and I really want to say that I do not accept this kind of insinuation, that a gesture made by some honorable people at that moment of making a nice gesture that goes to the women in the country who need medical support from part of the foundation that my wife started 23 years ago, if that’s a problem and it’s an allegation from the media, then we’re on two different planets. They donated, they donated, there were 120 people. The Mammo-van exists, it goes and does good work in communes in Romania for women in Romania who cannot go to the doctor. So this is the relationship with this family”, commented Mircea Geoană.

Mircea Geoană reacted with an attack on Atila Biro – who signs the investigation in Context.ro – saying that the journalist “is accused in the media from Bulgaria and other European countries of being part of the operation to attempt to assassinate the Prosecutor General of Bulgaria” .

Geoană declared that “it is an FSB operation, textbook, of deliberate compromise” and claimed that a “kompromat” is taking place against him after the revelations related to Rareș Mănescu. “We appealed to the specialized Romanian institutions dealing with these subjects to investigate this operation to compromise a former NATO official and potential future president of Romania,” he said.

In her turn, Mircea Geoana’s wife, Mihaela Geoană also emphasized that the Foundation did not receive “donations, sponsorships in cash or by bank transfer” from Russian citizens. “This sudden interest in suggesting that the Renasterea Foundation has links with Russian citizens, I consider it to be part of the kompromat operation organized against my husband, an independent candidate in the presidential elections”, stressed Mihaela Geoană. 

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