Yesterday, the Supreme Court finalized the assessment of the ‘Hidroelectrica’ case, final sentence to be ruled March 17.
Yesterday, DIICOT prosecutors pleaded before the Supreme Court in favour of convicting Codrut Seres for constituting an organized criminal group and complicity to abuse of office in the ‘Hidroelectrica’ case, in which six other former company managers have been implicated.
The DIICOT prosecutor present at the hearing requested the court to convict the other six defendants – Eugen Pena, Victoria Geormaneanu, George Asan, Nicoale Opris, Traian Oprea, and Georgeta Iosif – for constituting an organized criminal group and abuse of office.
In addition, the prosecutor argued the seven defendants need to pay expertise report expenses related to the case of over RON 3.7 million and damages to ANAF and SC Hidroelectrica of RON 149 million and RON 399 million, respectively.
At the hearing from February 19, Seres’ lawyer pointed out the crime his client was sued for is not included in the new Penal Code and, consequently, the court should close the case. In turn, the prosecutor stressed the new Penal Code equivalents of the infractions are the particularly serious crimes of constituting an organized criminal group and abuse of office and he asked judges to go through with the trial based on this information.
The court decided the crimes allegedly committed by the defendants will be established when a final decision will be made in this case, pointing out the closing arguments will be presented March 3.
According to the new Penal Code, offences relating to the undermining the economy are punishable by 10 to 20 years’ imprisonment. Abuses of office offences are punishable by two to seven years’ imprisonment and if they fall under particularly serious crimes, the sentence is increased by half.
Codrut Seres, former Minister of Economy, was sued by DIICOT prosecutors in September 2011 on suspicion of covering illegal activities conducted by the board of SC Hidroelectrica SA that resulted in damages worth approximately USD 165 million.
Indictment papers show Eugen Pena, former Director of Hidroelectrica, initiated and constituted a criminal group with Traian Oprea, Victoria Geormaneanu, George Lavinius Asan, Nicolae Opris, and Georgeta Iosif, with whom he conducted illegal activities related to contracting both internally produced electricity and electricity purchased from other producers in circumstances that were completely unfavourable for the company.
