​The Minister of Research and Digitization, Sebastián Burduya, issued on Wednesday an order to suspend the Director General of the National Aerospace Research Institute INCAS Bucharest, Catalin Nae, referred to the DNA Court for alleged damage to the institution of 5 million euros.

According to the decision, he was removed from his post until 25.06.2023, when, according to the law, the performance of his functions is terminated.

• “Measures are designed in connection with the fact that MCID took note of the decision of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate to bring the director of INCAS to court “for committing the crime of abuse of official position, which caused particularly serious consequences, if a civil servant obtained for himself or for another person an unlawful benefit, in an ongoing form,” the press release of the Ministry of Statistics says.

Director of INAS, accused of losses of 5 million euros due to contracts with “ghost” companies

The Director General of the National Institute for Aerospace Research “Elie Carafoli” – INCAS Bucharest, Cătălin Nae, was sent to court on Tuesday DNA in a case in which he is accused of causing damage to the institution for 5 million euros, after he entered into contracts with companies- “ghosts”.

He was sent to court for abuse of official position, which caused particularly serious consequences, in an ongoing form. Together with him, four natural persons, managers of some commercial companies, were sent to court for aiding and abetting the abuse of their official position, which caused particularly serious consequences.

Allegations made by DNA:

• “Between 2012 and 2014, Cătălin Nae, acting in the above-mentioned position, entered into 12 contracts with “ghost” companies controlled by the other four defendants, on terms he knew they could not perform (in field aeronautical research), which they undertook, not having the objective ability to carry out such activities (they did not have human and technical capital).
• The National Institute for Aerospace Research and Development “Elie Carafoli” paid the relevant companies a total amount of 21,495,199 lei (approximately 5,000,000 euros), which represents a loss for the institute at the same time as receiving an undue benefit of the same amount for the company of the four businessmen.” .
• Protective measures were ordered in this case, but the Eli Carafoli National Institute of Aerospace Research and Development clarified that it is not a civilian participant in the case.

The materials were sent to the Bucharest Court for consideration.