Finance Minister Sends Audit Corps to ANAF Over Nordis Case

Finance Minister Tanczos Barna told Digi24 that he will send the Control Body to ANAF for verification, after information appeared in the indictment of DIICOT prosecutors in the Nordis case that four tax inspectors had hidden irregularities found at the real estate company. He says that the four inspectors do not have any capacity in the case for now.

“It is a very complicated situation because there are several checks. It also concerns DIICOT documents, in which, when requesting the arrest of the two individuals, it came to light that these individuals who conducted at least two checks were also involved, but I believe there were more. Currently, there is an integrity check being carried out by the ANAF Integrity Directorate regarding the four individuals, and I will request a thorough audit by the Audit Corps to examine all the checks carried out on these companies or their suppliers for Nordis in the past 4-5 years. It is important to have an overall picture because, at least at the moment, I do not have all the information and we do not have the full picture. There have certainly been inspections where ANAF inspectors filed criminal complaints. I know at least one case where the inspection results were sent to DIICOT along with a criminal complaint, but it seems that DIICOT also has other information indicating that, at least in the indictment, there were situations where certain elements appear to have been concealed,” explained the minister.

“We need to have the overall picture. After the completion, probably by tomorrow or at the latest Monday, of the internal integrity check at ANAF, we will start the ministry’s inspection. I will wait two days to avoid having two parallel inspections; we will finish the integrity part, the internal control at ANAF, and then we will come and do a verification to have the complete picture and to be able to provide the criminal investigation bodies, if needed, with more information and details,” he added.

“It is possible that there were many inspections, and DIICOT may have referred to certain people, certain inspections, and when we carry out the control through the Audit Corps, we may have other data, other details. Next week we will begin our control at the Ministry of Finance, and we will come back with detailed information as soon as possible. The situation is very complicated because, on the one hand, there is information from DIICOT that these individuals attempted to intimidate ANAF and threatened to change the management, to apply political pressure, and that those who inspected them should be changed or something like that. DIICOT suspects that certain individuals favored Nordis. There is a possibility that things are much more complex than they appear at first glance, and that’s why I will need this inspection to clarify all aspects and provide the information to the public and everyone interested,” he continued.

“At the beginning of next week, we will begin the inspection through the Audit Corps. I can’t tell you how many days it will take, because I don’t realize the complexity and scale of the phenomenon. In a few days, the Audit Corps will definitely be able to provide details. As far as I know, the four individuals are not implicated in the criminal case; they are mentioned in the indictment, but at least at this moment I don’t have information that they would be charged or suspected, if they were summoned to DIICOT, I don’t know. That’s why this integrity check is very important at the beginning, so that ANAF can take a decision regarding any suspension or sanction measures for those involved. It is a case investigated by DIICOT. It is a case in which certain individuals are suspected of favoring the perpetrator. This is clearly stated in DIICOT’s indictment, which is why we must also have our complete picture through the Audit Corps,” Barna said.

Four inspectors from the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) could be charged with the crime of aiding and abetting the criminal, after they did not take any measures against the Nordis group of companies, although they had already found out three years ago that there were irregularities there, according to the data from the DIICOT report through which the prosecutors requested the preventive arrest of the couple Laura Vicol – Vladimir Ciorbă.