I’m not resigning, there is no conflict of interest

An evaluation report by the National Integrity Agency (ANI) accuses Constantin Mitulețu-Buică, president of the Permanent Electoral Authority (PEA) of a criminal conflict of interest, according to G4Media information confirmed by the head of AEP. The notification was filed by a former director of AEP, fired by Mitulețu Buică himself. The head of AEP, the man who organizes elections in Romania, told G4Media that “there is no conflict of interest, I will not resign.”

Cristian Petraru, former head of the technical apparatus from the Central Election Office director of the Permanent Electoral Authority (PEA) until 2019, filed a complaint with ANI in August 2021 indicating that the AEP president would appoint her to a position from establishes his sister-in-law, his wife’s sister.

Petraru received from ANI in December 2022, after almost a year and a half, an address in which he was informed that an “evaluation report had been drawn up in the file left by his notification through which elements of violation of the legal conflict regime of interest in criminal matters”, as stated by Cristian Petraru for G4Media.

Constantin Mitulețu-Buică confirmed receipt of the National Integrity Agency’s assessment report to G4Media and denied the allegations, announcing that he would contest the ANI report.

“The report concerns an alleged violation of article 301 of the penal code, regarding conflict of interest. I will present conclusions against this report because there is no conflict of interest. ANI has informed me that it will inform the Attorney General. I will not resign, it’s a simple notification to the prosecutor’s office,” said Constantin Mitulețu-Buică for G4Media.

The case started with the hiring of Carmen Mihaela Miningeș, sister-in-law of the AEP president, as a consultant in the Dolj Territorial Office at AEP.

Context. Mitulețu Buică was also targeted by a criminal complaint, but the judges referred the case back to the prosecutor’s office. In December 2021, the prosecutor’s office of the 3rd district court informed Parliament that it had indicted the president of CEPOL, who was accused of abuse of office at the time. He was accused by prosecutors of pressuring Gabriel Saucă (General Director, Directorate for the Coordination of the National Electoral Information System) and Cristian Petraru (Head of the Department of Organization of Electoral Processes) to leave the institute.

Mitulețu-Buica denied the allegations.

In early June 2022, the Bucharest Municipal Court decided to return the abuse of office file of the president of the Permanent Electoral Authority, Constantin Mituleţu Buică, to the prosecutor’s office. The decision is final.