Romania's National Anti-Corruption Department (DNA) announced officially on Thursday that a criminal inquiry has been launched in the case of the general manager of Oracle Romania, Sorin Mindrutescu, on 8 accounts of bribe taking. A EUR500,000 bail was set, which Mindrutescu must pay by Friday. He is acucsed of receiving almost EUR870,000 from representatives of IT companies to give them advantageous offers of Oracle products, so that these companies be able to join tenders launched by state institutions.
The named state institutions are the Registry of Commerce, the Agricultural Payment and Intervention Agency, the National Tax Agency, electricity company Transelectrica, the National Health Insurance Company and the Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration (ROMATSA).
DNA officially announced that raids took place related to the case on Thursday and that Sorin Mindrutescu underwent hearings.
On Wednesday evening, Mindrutescu told journalists that it was a "regrettable misunderstanding". He said the company was not involved in the case and that he and his legal representatives would try and deliver proof of "solving this regrettable misunderstanding".
Sorin Mindrutescu has been general manager of Oracle Romania since February 2008. He's been working with the company since 2001. Before Oracle, he worked as part of the management at Romanian banks. More recently, he also served as president of the board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania, president of the board at the Romanian Railways (CFR) and is serving as president of the Committee of Representatives at the Proprietatea Fund.
