Former PNL MP Marin Anton avoided a five-year prison sentence with execution after the statute of limitations expired in a case in which he was accused of accepting a 5.3 million euro bribe in 2009 when he was state secretary at the Ministry of Transport from a representative of an Italian company for concluding a contract for the construction of a new terminal at Otopeni Airport.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal on Monday ruled to stop the criminal proceedings against Marin Anton due to the interference of the statute of limitations, thus canceling the 5-year sentence the former MP received at the Court of First Instance (Bucharest Court) in September 2021.

In the court, the judges established the confiscation of the sum of 22,760,654 lei from Marin Anton, the decision was left unchanged by the Court of Appeal.

The same decision to terminate the process was also made in the case of Mihai Adrian Ionescu, former Deputy General Director of the Department of Road Coordination and Monitoring of the National Company of Roads and Roads of Romania SA and former adviser to the Minister of Transport, who was sentenced to 3 years of suspended imprisonment for complicity in bribery.

This is one of the thousands of cases closed by the courts as a result of the application of certain decisions of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court regarding the limitation of facts, ignoring the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Marin Anton, former PNL deputy from Giurgiu and former state secretary and vice-president of the Technical and Economic Council at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, who coordinated the activities of the National Company “Henri Coanda International Airport – Bucharest” SA Otopeni, was brought to court in December 2017 for bribery

According to DNA, in 2009, the contract for the modernization of the international airport “Henri Coanda” continued, within the framework of which the design of a new terminal was started in accordance with the additional act No. 9/07.12.2007, as well as the status of our country as a member of the EU, as well as the prospect of accession to the Schengen zone, an update of the investment goal was required simultaneously with the approval at the level of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of some updated technical and economic indicators.

“The international company that was supposed to carry out the work on the new terminal handed over the project and all the documentation to the beneficiary – the National Airport Company of Bucharest (CNAIB) at the end of 2008, and the latter had to take care of obtaining the necessary approvals and approvals for the start of work. CNAIB submitted a request for the approval of new technical and economic indicators from the beginning of February 2009, until June 2009 no decision was taken at the level of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. , and due to the lack of funding, construction work in Otopenia stood still,” DNA says.

Under these circumstances, according to the investigation, between June and November 2009, Marin Anton would have accepted the promise, and later received it from the representative of the Romanian branch of the international company that was executing the contract for the modernization of Otopeni Airport. (requested witness) for a total amount of 22,760,654 lei (approximately 5.3 million euros at the exchange rate of that period), which was a commission of 3.5% of the value of the works contract.

“The corresponding money was received by Marin Anton for the approval between June 15 and July 17, 2009 of the documentation regarding the investment objective “Development and modernization of the Bucharest International Airport – Otopeni (…)”, the justification note and the draft government decision on the approval of the specified technical economic indicators of the above-mentioned investment facility, as well as approval of the continuation of work and financing of the relevant facility,” prosecutors say.

As a result of these steps, DNA also shows, the draft government decision would have been adopted by issuing government decree no. 852/2009, an administrative act necessary for the conclusion of additional act No. 10 of 21/08/2009 to the contract of 30/04/1992 regarding the development and modernization of Bucharest – Otopeni International Airport with the National Company Henri Coanda International Airport – Bucharest and the company’s businessman.

Marin Anton received money through a commercial company of which he was a partner.

“Marin Anton used the help of Adrian Mihai Ionescu, who in June 2009, during the latter’s meeting with the representative of the international company, clarified to him the “claims” of the first defendant, as well as the method. Thus, an agreement was concluded between the international company and the company controlled by the defendant Anton Marin subcontract, the amount of 22,760,654 lei was paid by bank transfer in the period from July 23 to November 20, 2009 and represented the cost of some construction work that was not actually performed,” the prosecutors also specify.

The received money was used in the interests of the company with which Marin Anton was connected. (Agerpress)