1 of the 600 new Romanian police cars, the purchase of which is being investigated by the EPPO, under the charge of fraud with European funds.
1 of the 600 new Romanian police cars, the purchase of which is being investigated by the EPPO, under the charge of fraud with European funds.
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[Source](https://mainnews.ro/parchetul-european-verifica-achizitia-celor-600-de-bmw-uri/)
Translation
The European Union Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) are investigating the purchase contract concluded by the Romanian Police with Automobile Bavaria for the purchase of 600 BMW cars, according to a response from the Romanian Police to Europa Liberă. The cars have not yet been received, the source added.
The General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police has signed a contract for the purchase of up to 600 BMW cars with Automobile Bavaria, owned by Michael Schmidt, a close friend of President Klaus Iohannis.
The total value of the framework agreement is 9.8 million lei excluding VAT, i.e. about 163,000 lei (33,300 euro)/car. Funding for the programme comes from European funds and the state budget.
“So far, no vehicles of the type mentioned by you have been received, the contract between our institution and SC Automobile Bavaria being in progress, with no delays recorded,” the Romanian Police response states.
How did the BMW come about?
A first explanation can be extracted from the requirements imposed by the institution in the tender documentation, some of them extremely restrictive. The IGPR wanted a 4X4, petrol-powered car with an engine of over 1,900 cm³, a power of at least 130 kw, an 8+1 automatic gearbox, capable of going from 0-100 km/h in no more than 8 seconds and a top speed of at least 210 km/h. All for up to €33,300 excluding VAT.
Obviously, with conditions like that, there weren’t many bidders. The only Romanian manufacturers, Dacia Renault and Ford, did not meet the requirements. In the end, only Automobile Bavaria, the BMW dealer in Romania, bid for a 3 Series model.
Trade unionists claim the purchase was “with dedication”.
Representatives of the Europol trade union accused the police management of imposing far too restrictive criteria in the tender, giving an advantage to the Bavarian car manufacturer.
“We were not a little surprised when, after about 2 weeks of research and discussions with representatives of major car dealers, we came to the conclusion that the ONLY brand that “falls” on these specifications is BMW. And the type of BMW is 320ix. (…) But we can’t help but wonder rhetorically – was that 8+1 speed gearbox really that important?! Couldn’t the IGPR have widened the scope a bit and demanded a wider range for everything that is a branded car manufacturer to participate in the tender?!” the trade unionists pointed out.
oh good old we’ll make a tender but the conditions there are so precise they’ll only fit the right person. we have it all the time and we have to constantly call up complaints about unfair competition
The European Union Public Prosecutor’s Office is worth every penny in my opinion.
This also goes for the [European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)](https://www.eumonitor.eu/9353000/1/j9vvik7m1c3gyxp/vh77kouqbwwr).
>The European anti-fraud office (OLAF) is a directorate-general that combats fraud, corruption and other similar illicit activities in the European Union. It is responsible for monitoring the affairs of the European institutions and investigating any possible instances of fraud, corruption and financial misconduct within the EU institutions in order to protect the financial interests of the EU. OLAF conducts its investigations in close cooperation with the relevant agencies of the member-states.
The price is surprisingly low, especially if the modifications for the police are included (are they?), but then again, I have no idea about how much discount you get for buying 600 vehicles at once.
What is the “fraud” part? €33k per car seems “reasonable” and it’s not like they ordered 600x M4 CSL at €120k per so now cops have to fold the front seat everytime they need to put the criminal in the back seat.
Are these also stolen?
€33k is pretty good price for a 320i xdrive. The regular price is around €40k I think (ex any taxes). A 17,5% discount for quantity
do they even employee 600 police officers in the entirety of Romania?