More than a month after the start of the scandal regarding inappropriate masks at MApN hospitals, Romarm’s Board of Directors decided to fire Gabriel Tsutsa as CEO of the company, effective March 14, 2023.

“Taking into account the development of events regarding the situation of Mr. Gabriel Tsutsu, imposing new obligations within the preventive measure of judicial control, the Board of Directors of CN ROMARM SA decided to recall Mr. Gabriel Tsutsu from the position of the company’s general director, starting from March 14, 2023. Until the appointment of a new general director, the economic director of CN ROMARM SA will carry out executive management,” the company’s press release quoted news.ro as saying.

Gabriel Tsutsu is being investigated by DNA for abuse of official position with particularly grave consequences, influence peddling in continuous form, intellectual forgery in connection with the purchase of machines for the production of hygienic masks and inappropriate hygienic masks during the pandemic.

The Bucharest court decided to place Alexandra Pitsurke and Romarm director Gabriel Tsutsa under judicial control in the DNA file. Thus, the court rejected the request for preventive arrest of DNA prosecutors.

Viktor Pitsurke’s son, Aleksandra, is accused of buying influence. According to DNA, he would accept the terms put forward by Gabriel Tsutsu, director of Romarm.

• The first big cannon of the pandemic. The deal for almost two million dollars arranged by the head of Romarma – details for the first time

The accusations that DNA brings to the head Romarm:

• 1. Against the background of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, in the period from March 19, 2020 to September 16, 2021, Gabriel Tsutsu, in the capacity indicated above, would, in violation of the provisions of the law, join an association of companies, which also included a company controlled another person investigated in this case (Viktor Pitsurka – no), under unfavorable conditions for the company he managed, two public procurement contracts (which related to the purchase of seven inappropriate machines for the production of protective masks).
• Due to the actions mentioned above, CN Romarm SA suffered damages in the amount of 8,647,584 lei, which is the value of the above mentioned machines, the value of raw materials and subsequently the value of some related parts and services (outside the contract).
• 2. In a similar context, during the period 19.03.2020 – 10.04.2020, Gabriel Tsutsu claimed, among other things, from representatives of the companies involved in the above-mentioned purchases, the introduction into the commercial scheme of delivery of incompatible protective masks for the Ministry of National Defense (MApN) of his second, without him carrying out a real commercial activity additional to the contract for the supply of protective equipment and making payments to him (40% of the received profit share) under the guise of a consulting contract.
• In exchange for these “favors”, Tsutsu would allow himself to be believed to have influence over officials in the M.Ap.N. and that this will force them to entrust the supply contracts directly and without public procedures, and to carry out the problem-free receipt of the relevant products and the timely payment of the invoices issued in this regard.
• In the context mentioned above, Gabriel Tsutsu would have received the sum of 50,000 lei through an intermediary.

Romarm is a state-owned defense industry company. In May 2020, HotNews.ro wrote that the then government led by Ludovic Orbán thought it would be good to expand its scope of activity by producing protective masks in order to stop relying on imports from China.

In April 2020, the Government announced that Romarm had started production of masks. But all this lasted very little, because the production equipment broke down in the very first days. Additionally, this $1 million worth of equipment was imported from China.

At the end of April, Economy Minister Virgil Popescu announced that Romarm had started production, so Prime Minister Ludovic Orbán visited the factory on April 29. It was also the day the production line went live. Immediately after the visit, it broke down.