Inquiries at the Permanent Electoral Authority

Less than a month before the legislative elections in Romania, the Permanent Electoral Authority is without its president, Ana Maria Patru, who has just resigned.

Roxana Vasile, 16.11.2016, 13:27

With less than a month to go until the parliamentary
elections on December 11, the country’s Permanent Electoral Authority is without
its president, Ana Maria Patru, who has just announced her resignation through her
lawyer, following the start of an investigation by anti-corruption prosecutors.

Ana Maria Patru is being investigated for crimes of
influence peddling and money laundering related to the acquisition of software used in the
previous elections in Romania.
Prosecutors with the Anti Corruption Directorate (DNA) are suspecting that the
software was purchased from a firm picked by the head of the Permanent
Electoral Authority, in exchange for an apartment and a luxury car.

More precisely, in the spring of 2008, Patru, the
institution’s vice president back then, a position equivalent to that of state
secretary, allegedly asked for 210,000 euros from a company’s representatives,
the price of a home in Bucharest. She allegedly got the money the following
year. In exchange for the money Patru is believed to have promised the smooth
running of a contract between that particular company and the Permanent
Electoral Authority, and also her support to conclude future contracts with
this company. For this reason, two years later, in 2011, Ana Maria Patru
allegedly received, from the same company, a certain amount to partially cover
the cost of a luxury car. Moreover, Patru allegedly asked and received 50,000
euros from another company to facilitate a meeting between the company’s
representative and the then economy minister. With the total amount that she
received, Patru bought herself a Land Rover. Given that the bribe was believed
to have been hidden and transferred through the accounts of a number of
companies, investigators looked for evidence on Tuesday wherever they thought
they could find some. According to legal sources, Ana Maria Patru’s husband allegedly tried to
run away with some documents during the searches at one of her homes. However,
the police stopped him.

The professional ascent of
Ana Maria Patru, aged 40, has been constant over the past few years. Having
joined the Democratic Party in 2002, she was a director of the Permanent
Electoral Authority – The Regional Branch South – between 2005 and 2007.
Between 2007 and 2012 she was the Permanent Electoral Authority’s vice
president, at the proposal of the president’s office. In 2012 she was appointed
by Parliament as head of this institution. Moreover, since October 2013, she
has been the vice president of the Association of World Election Bodies.

An unpleasant surprise -
is how Romanian President Klaus Iohannis defined the recent developments
involving Ana Maria Patru. Iohannis has given assurances, however, that the
ongoing investigation will not affect the December 11 elections. The head of
state has also voiced his conviction that the Permanent Electoral Authority
will continue to do its job.