The Foundation for the Defense of Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS) has filed a complaint with the DNA against Ministry of Health personnel who signed an official letter denying the existence of contracts with providers of COVID-19 vaccines.
The signatories of the address attested to false circumstances regarding the non-existence of these contracts, consequently including information about these contracts in the classified/confidential category, in order to conceal the violation of the law by the respective officials who signed the contract.
Despite the fact that official papers from the Romanian government plainly reveal the presence of four contracts signed with producers with whom the European Commission established Purchase Agreements, officials from the Ministry of Health have declared that these contracts do not exist.
Their formal response was given only after FACIAS's request that the four contracts be publicly disclosed in order to uphold the principle of transparency.
As a result, the denial of the four contracts' existence in the formal address given to FACIAS indicates that the address's signatories deliberately misinformed the population. That is why FACIAS notified the DNA under the aspect of committing intellectual forgery crimes, in accordance with Art. 321 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, favoring the perpetrator, in accordance with Art. 269 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, and abuse of office, in accordance with Art. 297 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.
The official documents that refer to the four contracts are public and a comparison of the data reveals that the official representative from the Ministry of Health's Public Relations and Press Service, in the course of his duties, attested to facts inconsistent with the truth, thus falsifying the official document.
At the same time, Ministry of Health officials emphasized that the content of these contracts is confidential and can only be communicated with the approval of the Commission and the producers. Again, a false statement, as proven by the public availability of European Commission agreements on the official EU website.
Civil officials' activities affect citizens: denies them the right to information on issues of general interest, such as public health in the pandemic and the waste of public funds on vaccines that are no longer utilized and are soon to expire.
FACIAS has repeatedly requested official explanations for the irresponsible spending of money in the process of purchasing COVID-19 vaccines, as well as renegotiation of existing contracts, considering that Romania is not using most of the purchased doses and is being forced to purchase a significantly greater number of doses.
FACIAS, according to its statutory purpose, but also through its constant activity over the past 14 years, defends the rights of citizens and seeks to ensure transparency in the functioning of state institutions as a principle of democracy and the rule of law.
CONSULT FACIAS CRIMINAL LAW ADRESS HERE.
FACIAS REQUEST TO THE HEALTH MINISTRY
HEALTH MINISTRY ANSWER
NOTE REGARDING VACCINE DOSES PURCHASED BY ROMANIA*
The following is an excerpt from the Foundation Note to GEO no. 49/2021, in which the state acknowledges that the Ministry of Health executed four contracts for the provision of COVID-19 vaccinations.
