The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) has indicted four officials of Romania's Lower Danube River Administration (AFDJ Galați) over the alleged fraudulent procurement of two EU-funded tugs.
The EPPO's Cluj-Napoca office filed the indictment with the Iași Court, the prosecutors announced on Monday, October 26. One other individual and one company are accused of assisting the alleged scheme.
The two tugs, which are designed to operate in ice, were meant to navigate rivers, including during low-water periods, and to assist vessels in distress.
"However, the tender specifications included technical requirements for seagoing vessels, although the tugs were intended for inland waterways,” the EPPO said. “This narrowed the field of eligible bidders and favoured a single company.”
The contract set a maximum draught of two metres. Prosecutors said the vessels delivered in July 2021 have an actual draught of 2.6 metres.
"Despite this, the four public officials accepted the vessels and signed final acceptance reports falsely stating that they met the technical requirements," the EPPO said.
According to the prosecutors, "the tugs can only be used safely when water levels are sufficiently high along their intended route, limiting their use on the Danube, particularly during periods of low water."
The procurement was launched in September 2019 with a total contract value of RON35,144,000 (US$7,302,505). The project received approximately €7 million (US$7.8 million) under the 2014–2020 Large Infrastructure Operational Programme, and prosecutors estimate damage to the EU budget at approximately the same amount.
If convicted, the defendants face imprisonment for three to ten and a half years. All retain the presumption of innocence pending a finding of guilt in the Romanian courts.
The EPPO searched 12 premises linked to AFDJ and the Romanian Naval Authority in March 2024. At the time, Europa Liberă România reported that the inland waterway tug lot was awarded to Tehnorex International after a single offer was submitted.
AFDJ Galați's then-director general, Angela Ivan, told TVR that the tender had been approved by the national public procurement agency. She said the tugs had been used on the river in certain operations.
