Automobile Bavaria issued its first official response on Thursday to the scandal involving 600 BMWs purchased by the Romanian police. The company says that “the special BMW 320i xDrive cars offered by IGPR are not luxury cars” and that Michael Schmidt, the company’s founder and close to President Iohannis, “no longer holds any position and is no longer involved in activities in Romania.” .

Below we reproduce the clarifications made on Thursday Leonhard Georg Pfeffer, CEO and administrator of Automobile Bavaria regarding the auction organized by the Romanian police:

• We have been operating in Romania since 1994, being the first importer of the BMW brand in this market. Since 2007, we have become the Competence Center for local special BMW sales.
• For more than 60 years, BMW AG’s special department has been working with international government bodies to develop cars that meet the highest standards around the world. Paramedics, firefighters, police officers – everyone who works in emergency services has one thing in common: their job requires outstanding results in exceptional situations. The vehicles they use are vital. BMW’s special sales department supplies special vehicles that have been systematically developed and improved together with authorities around the world.
• In Romania, the authorities have been using BMW motorcycles since the 1960s, as in 150 other countries around the world. Automobile Bavaria has been the main supplier of motorcycles for the authorities in our country for the past 25 years. In 2009, we delivered the first batch of BMW 3 series special vehicles to the Romanian police.
• We have been participating in international public tenders for more than 25 years and our priority as a participant is to ensure that a competitive offer meets the requirements of the organizers. As with any procurement process we are involved in, we follow the officially notified stages and procedures without exception. We also offer our full support to the authorities in their efforts to clarify the terms of the tender.
• Contracts with state bodies do not have a significant share in our company’s turnover, accounting for less than 5% of Automobile Bavaria’s annual deliveries.
• The special BMW 320i xDrive cars offered by IGPR are not luxury cars. They are registered, equipped with optical and acoustic alarm systems, an additional battery for special equipment and an additional set of winter wheels. These are vehicles specially designed for the government and offered at a special price. In addition, during the entire term of the contract, we undertake to maintain the set price, even if there may be changes in the automobile market, which will cause an increase in the list prices.
• BMW cars are economical in terms of maintenance costs. The service intervals offered by BMW are among the longest in the industry, much longer than those offered by domestic manufacturers, for example. The service interval for the BMW 320i xDrive is 25,000 km. The contract warranty is 5 years/or 200,000 km. After 100,000 km, the BMW 320 xi requires 4 revisions.
• The failure to participate in the first auction organized by the IGPR was due to production constraints, a situation known throughout the automotive industry in recent years.
• Regarding the assumptions that appear in some publications regarding the possible involvement of Mr. Michael Schmidt in our participation in this auction, we would like to clarify that the founder of the Automobile Bavaria and MHS Truck & Bus companies no longer holds any position in the companies in Romania and does not take participation in their operational activities.
• At the level of MHS holding, registered in Austria, the Romanian business represents part of the activity together with companies from Germany and Austria. Given the non-involvement of His Holiness in commercial activities or the decision-making process in the companies registered in the Holding, it is impossible to establish a connection between Mr. Schmidt’s personal life and the activities of these companies.
• The BMW brand remains at the top of Romanian drivers’ preferences thanks to its performance, safety and reliability. We are delighted to have been able, with the support of BMW Special Sales, to secure the production capacity for a batch of special BMW 320i xDrive vehicles for the Romanian Police at a time when the entire global automotive industry continues to face major challenges. challenges”.

How the police explained the purchase of hundreds of BMWs “for only 32,000 euros” each from a company run by a friend of Johannis

We will remind, in the scandal caused by the purchase of 600 BMWs from Automobile Bavaria, the Romanian police defended themselves claiming that there was a similar procedure last year, this is true only for 300 cars, but with the same technical characteristics. The procedure was canceled because no offer was registered.

• “The first procurement procedure was started in 2021 for 300 traffic police cars, the deadline for submitting offers is November 25, 2021, and on November 26, 2021, the procedure was canceled due to the lack of offers registered, although there were 4 car manufacturers on the market, which corresponded to the given technical characteristics,” the police said.

What the police did not say was that there were potential bidders in the canceled auction last year who asked for some adjustments, but the police were unwilling to make concessions, according to data from the Electronic Public Procurement System (CEAP). .

• Read details: How Johannis’ friend’s company was the only one at the auction for police BMWs

How Bode Explained Why He Couldn’t Change 8+1 Gearbox Requirements At Auction For 600 BMW

It should also be noted the explanations given later by the Minister of the Interior, Lucian Bode, who came out to present the findings of the control body on the purchase of 600 BMWs.

At the press conference, Bode stated that all the technical specifications, including the 8+1 speed gearbox, will be found in Annex 2 of the financial contract No. 106/2021, which is signed by the former Minister of Transport of the USSR, Cătălin Drula, who is now in charge of the special tender.

• “On July 5, 2021, based on the agreement provided by the Ministry led by Mr. Drula, financial contract No. 106/2021 was signed, a contract signed between the Ministry of Transport represented by Minister Drula and the IGPR through Benone Matei.
• Very important! Appendix 2, an integral part of this contract, is a sheet of technical details, where on page 7 we find the cylinder volume, gearbox, thrust, length, body, color, specific encryption and very importantly the 8+1 speed automatic gearbox.
• Do we remember what Mr. Drula said a few days ago? That I created a specification in which I deliberately omitted, for example, the 8+1 gearbox to favor someone, provided that his lordship signed the finance contract, and the annex to the finance contract contained those specifications, including the 8+1 gearbox . Therefore, in the specification, we could not miss either 7+1 or 9+1.
• I wonder: how stupid would it be to accuse the Romanian police, the MAI, of faithfully creating certain specifications, when all they did was take those specifications from the technical draft attached to the financial contract signed by the Ministry of Transport?” , said Lucian Bode.

Minister Lucian Bode did not want to make this Appendix 2 public, even though HotNews.ro and other media insisted on it.

Cătălin Drula presented the financial contract, but without the Annex 2 mentioned by Bode

On the other hand, USR leader Katelin Drula defended himself, claiming that Minister Lucian Bode “lies like he breathes”, causing “deliberate confusion between the European funding of the road safety project and the tender organized by his loyal subordinates”.

The leader of the Ukrainian Ukrainian SSR claims that he approved the road safety project “Development of a mixed mobile traffic monitoring system for violations of traffic rules” with European funds. published a document in which even Appendix 2 is missing incriminated by the minister Lucian Bode.

• You can read the document HERE.

Cătălin Drula claims that his signature is not “on any so-called application with technical details”.

“The annex Bode speaks of was drawn up and signed by him and his subordinates. Of the entire project, Bode was only engaged in the purchase of cars until now, the number of which he doubled (they reached 600 – probably a friend of the president should have sold more). No other equipment was purchased, thousands of equipment that should contribute to road safety. Specialized cars only”, – wrote the leader of the UDR on Facebook.

Read more:

• VIDEO BMW scandal for the police. Bode: “The auction is fair. Full of tupeu, Drula accuses a high-level conspiracy, forgetting to say how crucial a role he plays in this case”
• Drula responds to Bode: “Watch how you breathe” / Document published by the leader of the Ukrainian SSR
• After the 600 BMWs, the police could also buy 75 high-speed motorcycles from the company of the president’s friend Yohannis
• As the company of a friend of Johannis was the only one in the auction for police BMWs