The National Anti-corruption Department (DNA) announced on Thursday it opened criminal inquiries against ten Romanian football moguls including agents Ioan and Victor Becali, Bucharest club Rapid boss George Copos and former football star Gica Popescu.
They are charged with fraud, embezzlement and money laundering.
Anti-graft prosecutors determined the total amount of the prejudice to 1.7 million euro, as a result of avoiding any registration of the sums received after the transfer of 12 players from one club to another. The money is believed to have been moved to accounts of off-shore companies from Virgin Islands and Netherlands.
Prosecutors claim that the evidence registered to date shows that some 10 million euro which were actually meant for reach football clubs were diverted elsewhere during the period 1999-2005. Some of the ten used the diverted money in their own interest.
The money were intended to go to various football clubs in Bucharest and in Romania, including majors such as Dinamo and Rapid Bucharest.
Due to the nature of the investigation, Romanian anti-graft prosecutors collaborated with their Chinese, South Korean and European counterparts from Spain, Italy and Netherlands.
The list of suspects
Becali Ioan, football agent
Becali Victor, football agent
Copos Gheorghe, president, owner of Rapid Bucharest
Puscoci Sica, lawyer
Stoica Mihai, former manager of Otelul Galati football club
Borcea Cristian, executive president of Dinamo Bucharest football club
Stoenescu Mircea, former president of Dinamo
Padureanu Jean, president of Gloria Bistrita football club
Popescu Gheorghe, football agent
Netoiu Gheorghe, former shareholder at Dinamo football club
