Communes of Botoşani brought to NAD’s attention

Four communes of Botoşani county have been brought to the attention NAD on a series of illegal actions in granting the EU subventions for grassland, within the Single Area Payment Scheme (SAPS), which enables financial support for a certain stated surface.

The local administration of Mitoc, Manoleasa, Băluşeni and Roma have already got criminal records on the list, as there is a suspicion that these European subventions have been received by other persons than the lawful beneficiaries.

The prefect of Botoşani county, Cristian Roman, has decided to carry out an investigation all over the county regarding the subventions for grassland, which, by the end of the investigation, will have been suspended.

The decision was taken after it had been discovered that in the commune of Corni the common had been rented to a company which paid the town hall a sum of 20 000 lei, while the trading company cashed a subvention of 50 000 euros from Payment and Intervention Agency in Agriculture (PIAA) every year.

Prefect Cristian Roman says that the damage brought to the state outruns two thousand lei.

These kinds of embezzlements have been discovered in several town halls where decision taking factors are involved in the local administration, for which reason this inquiry has been demanded.

PIAA grants an 81-euro premium for each grassland hectare.

Prefect Cristian Roman stated that in some cases the companies which leased the common were set up a month after the contract signing.

The interest is high as PIAA grants 81 euro premium for each grassland hectare and the town halls can not receive the subvention for the common as they are not the final beneficiary, except the case when they sell mowed grass or the common is leased by another company that can prove it breeds animals.

‘For now 55 territorial administration units are under investigation. The mayors have to send all the requested files by the end of next week.’

‘Corni commune is being investigated and so far we have found several irregularities.’

‘The grassland was leased by the vice-mayor, a local counselor, people of any political colour. One cannot imagine the brotherhood there’, prefect Cristian Roman said.

He also said that Botoşani county might loose several hundreds of thousand euros as well as its credibility in front of the international institutions because of the illegal business.

The territorial government commissioner requested from the town halls of the county as well as from PIAA all the public acquisition documents together with those of subvention granting.

The resolutions of the Local Council will also be checked.

Translated by: Cătălina Virvescu
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University