The Hidroelectrica case, related to how Romanian company Hidroelectrica sold cheap energy to selected clients, was opened in April 2007 but has reached a stand-by point. Following a first wave of hearing, a complex financial-accounting and technical-scientific experts' evaluations were ordered, the costs of which are unprecedented. According to converging judicial sources, the evaluation, paid by the Romanian state through the General Prosecutor's office, costs 1,8 million euro. The money is to be paid to three Romanian experts.
This is the second team of experts who have accepted to work on the case. The first dropped it after a month and a half, claiming to having been threatened and subjected to pressure. The sources say experts had asked for much more, but after several rounds of negotiations agreed with the 1.8 million euro pay.
The evaluation has a deadline of a year and four months, due to expire by the end of 2008.
The experts have to establish whether a real prejudice exists in the case and if yes - it's amount. According to sources close to the inquiry, the alleged prejudice is evaluated to 1 billion euro, money that has reached what is locally known as the group of "smart guys" in the Romanian energy sector.
The fate of the Hidroelectrica file depends on the evaluation and should it prove there was no prejudice in the case, but only losses caused by the inefficiency of the national energy system and a lack of technical investments, the case would be closed.
The inquiry in the Hidroelectrica case develops in three directions:
- People who have signed contracts considered to be loss-making for the Romanian state, by which Hidroelectrica sells cheap electricity through various intermediaries.
- The companies run by the so-called "smart guys" taking benefit of contracts at the expense of the Romanian state
- People behind public servants who signed loss-making contracts and determined or contributed to the signing of such contracts.
