The strange case of the car of the Ministry of Communications detained in the Republic of Moldova as stolen. How the “free title” car got to the Government
The President of the Authority for the Digitization of Romania (ADR) Dragoș Vlad, who was part of the Romanian delegation that participated in a working visit to the Republic of Moldova, on December 12, was stopped for driving a stolen car belonging to the Government, and the car was confiscated by the police.
At the customsPhoto: Border Police
ADR stated that the institution was the fourth institutional owner of the car and “had no knowledge that the car was listed in an international database of public order institutions”. Therefore, at this moment, the car is going through the legal procedures required by this international alert, ADR added, according to News.ro.
“At the border we faced an unpleasant situation. One of the two cars was checked and we were informed that there is an alert on this car. The car in question has been in the heritage of the Authority for the Digitization of Romania since 2020, since the establishment of this institution, as a result of taking over the heritage of the previous institutions. There are documents to that effect, based on the minutes. This car passed about four public institutions. As a result of a court sentence, as early as 2017, by which this asset was confiscated, it is part of ANAF’s patrimony. ANAF capitalizes it free of charge to the Ministry of Communications, with the observation that it was part of a civil file. We were allowed further access to the territory of the Republic of Moldova, with the observation that when additional information comes, I will be notified of this fact. I handed over the car, as soon as I received the notification from the Romanian Consulate in the Republic of Moldova, to the structural authority there. The handover procedure, pending clarification, happened at the end of the visits to the Republic of Moldova. There was a problem, it was confirmed that there is an alert and it must be checked with the status of origin of these cars – Italy”, said Dragoș Vlad, Wednesday on Antena 3.
How did the car come into ADR’s possession / Why was it not known that it was stolen?
“The Border Police confirms that the car belonging to the persons in question was detained, according to the Interpol order. Upon our notification that it was an international wanted alert, placed by the Italian authorities, the private citizen presented the car to the Border Police. Currently, the car is unavailable on the territory of the inspectorate, until the situation is clarified and a decision is made,” he told TVR1 Raisa Novițchi, press officer, Moldovan Border Police.
ADR, the car’s fourth institutional owner, says it was unaware that the car was on an international law enforcement database.
And to the question that no one knew that the vehicle was wanted by the Italian police, ADR also answered that the fault is lack of sufficient digitization and the non-existence of a system that allows the interconnection of the databases managed by the Romanian state with those of the EU member states.
The role of ANAF
In reality, the car was received free of charge from ANAF, which had it since 2017 as a result of a court decision. For its part, this institution also does not know the reasons why the car is registered in the countries’ systems as stolen.
“ANAF, through the Enforcement Directorate for Special Cases, carries out the security measures and enforcement procedures in special cases of enforcement that are the subject of court decisions in criminal matters, as well as in other cases of stability by order of the president of ANAF, respectively . of capitalization of assets seized and/or confiscated in criminal matters, and of those confiscated in civil matters, by means of the law, including coordination and monitoring of enforcement and capitalization methods.
The Operational Directorate for the Valorization of Confiscated Assets (DOVBC) within the DGESCS has powers in the field of valorization of assets entered, according to the law, into the state’s own property, both in criminal matters and in civil matters, under the terms of OG no. 14/2007 on the regulation of the manner and conditions of capitalization of the assets entered, according to the law, into the state’s own property, republished, with subsequent amendments and additions.
In the sense of the provisions of art. 2 lit. a) from OG no. 14/2007, republished, with subsequent amendments and additions, by the body for capitalization of the DOVBC agreement within the DGESCS, through its territorial structures with powers of capitalization of goods entered, according to the law, into the state’s own property.
By criminal sentence no. 2253/27.02.2018 pronounced by the Bucharest Court – First Criminal Section in file 16475/3/2017, final by Criminal Decision no. 58/07.02.2018 of the Bucharest Court of Appeal, the confiscation of the Audi A5 car was ordered.
On 11.04.2017, the car was handed over to the competent recovery body, following the recovery procedure provided by OG no. 14/2007 for the regulation of the manner and conditions of capitalization of the assets entered, according to the law, into the state’s own property, republished, with subsequent amendments and additions, and GD no. 731/2007 regarding the approval of the Methodological Norms for the application of OG no. 14/2007, republished, with subsequent amendments and additions.
On 27.11.2018, the car was sent to the Ministry of Public Finance – General Directorate of Legislation and Regulation in the field of state assets for the purpose of awarding it free of charge. Following the convocation of the Interministerial Commission established at the level of the General Secretariat of the Government, it was assigned free of charge to the Ministry of Communications and Information Society and handed over on 27.02.2019.
At the ANAF level, the reasons why the car is registered in the systems outside the country as stolen are not known,” states the press release of the sent institution. TVR 1.