​The purchase of 600 BMWs by the Interior Ministry, led by Liberal Lucian Bode, was carried out with “a number of deviations from public procurement law”, according to the Transport Directorate, responsible for recovering payments from EU funds, which offered a 10% contract fix, according to an official document , obtained by HotNews.ro.

This is stated in the answer of the Ministry of Transport led by PSD member Sorin Grindeanu to the question about the purchase of USR leader Katalin Drula.

The Romanian police have not yet submitted requests for reimbursement of the invoices paid for the delivered BMWs

Drula asked whether the General Directorate of the Intermediary Body for Transport received requests for reimbursement of invoices paid to the supplier for the delivered vans as part of the project “Development of a mixed mobile traffic monitoring system for violations of traffic rules”.

In fact, it is a controversial framework agreement worth more than 98 million lei, which the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police awarded last May to Automobile Bavaria, whose founder is Michael Schmidt, a close associate of President Klaus Iohannis.

In the response received on Wednesday, May 17, by the head of the UDR, the police have not yet sent any request for compensation:

• “Until this date, the beneficiary has not submitted any reimbursement requests to the Directorate-General of the Intermediary Authority for Transport, which include invoices related to the vans purchased under the project “Development of a hybrid mobile traffic monitoring system for traffic violations” .
• As no reimbursement request has been submitted so far within the framework of the project “Development of a mixed mobile traffic monitoring system for violation of traffic rules”, DGOIT has not paid/reimbursed any amount to the beneficiary. it is shown in the document.

Transport proposes to cut EU funds by 10% for violating the legislation on public procurement

When asked whether measures were taken after the review of the procurement procedure, officials from the Ministry of Transport said that they had found violations of the law and proposed a financial correction.

• “After checking the framework agreement on the supply of products No. 467952/15/04.08.2022 as part of the project “Development of a mobile mixed traffic monitoring system for violations of traffic rules”, SMIS code 125180, a number of deviations from the legislation on public procurement were detected, in accordance with the provisions of GD No. 519/2014, with subsequent changes and additions, a percentage reduction of 10% was proposed.
• In this sense, in accordance with the procedures for the completion of the non-conformity report related to the framework agreement for the supply of products No. 467.952/15/04.08.2022, the Beneficiary was invited to express a point of view on the draft report. , this is also shown in the document.

SEE ALL ANSWERS ABOUT TRANSPORT HERE

• HotNews.ro asked for a point of view on this subject to both the Minister of the Interior, Luciano Bode, and the MAI Communications Department, and we will publish their responses as soon as we receive them.

What contracts have the police already signed with Automobile Bavaria

Framework agreement on the purchase of 600 BMWs signed for 2 years and provides that “300 cars will be financed from EU funds, through the Great Infrastructure Operational Program – POIM, and the remaining 300 cars will be financed from the state budget.”

The minimum quantity for the next contract is 100 cars.

Data from the electronic public procurement system indicate that the police have already signed the following 2 contracts with Automobile Bavaria:

• the first on September 12, 2022, value more than 16.3 million lei
• the second on May 9, 2023, worth more than 32.6 million lei.

Purchase of 600 BMWs by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the attention of the European Prosecutor’s Office and DNA

The European Union Prosecutor’s Office and DNA are investigating a sales contract signed by the Romanian police with Automobile Bavaria for the purchase of 600 BMW cars, Europa Liberă reported in March this year.

Romanian police said in an official response to the quoted source that it had “provided all relevant documents regarding this purchase to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office” and that the cars had not yet been received.

The contract is worth 98 million lei, which is almost 20 million euros, and according to the mandate, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, headed by Laura Codrucci Kovesi, can investigate purchases from European funds if they exceed 10 thousand euros.

And the National Anti-corruption Authority (DNA) is reviewing the 2021 procurement of Police, a procurement process for which only one bidder appeared after a failed first phase.

Judicial sources told Europa Libera that the DNA initiated a criminal case last fall after self-reporting. The same sources also reported that the case is already at the stage of proper investigation, that is, there are no suspects.

Drula: The police could pay for the cars from the state budget

The president of USR, Cătălin Drula, pointed out in an interview with one2one, Europa Liberă, that the police can pay for the cars with money from the national budget, not from European funds, in order to avoid possible inspections by the European Union. forums

Last September, Free Europe and g4media.ro reported that the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police (IGPR) was buying 600 BMWs from Automobile Bavaria SRL, a company run by Michael Schmidt, a friend of President Klaus Iohannis. The Europol trade union accused a special tender.

President Klaus Iohannis said his friendship with businessman Michael Schmidt was not important in winning the tender held by the Romanian police to buy BMW cars, and stressed that if there were doubts about the legality of the procedure, there were enough competent authorities to check.

Automobile Bavaria later said 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.”

Romanian police say they ended up buying “a minimum of 300 and a maximum of 600 BMWs” from a company run by a friend of President Iohannis on the grounds that only one distributor appeared at the auction, even though four manufacturers were eligible. requirements, Mercedes, Jaguar and Alfa Romeo.

The cited source claims that the start of the procedures for creating technical conditions dates back to 2018, and they are “aligned with European standards.”

Police also say a framework agreement has been signed for a minimum of 300 and a maximum of 600 BMW 3 Series, 4×4 vehicles at a price of just €32,000 per unit excluding VAT, plus €32,000. includes special equipment for police work, worth about 4,000 euros, respectively, a ramp, a seat post, an additional battery, as well as a set of winter tires.

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 BMW, the police could also buy 75-speed motorcycles from the company of a friend of the president, Johannis
• As a friend of Johannis’ company was the only one in the auction for police BMWs