The first hearing in the case, in which The Foundation For The Defense Of Citizens Against State Abuses(FACIAS) has requested that the magistrates of the 1st District Court establish the significant damages caused to the Romanian state by the National Road Infrastructure Administration Company (CNAIR), is scheduled to take place today, 16 October. The estimated damages are in the tens of millions of euros. The misappropriation of funds designated for pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, whether unutilised or inadequately executed, has resulted in a substantial dissipation of public resources. Moreover, the documentation generated has frequently demanded costly and time-consuming revisions. The aforementioned mismanagement has not only resulted in considerable financial losses, but has also led to the postponement of vital road infrastructure projects of strategic importance for Romania.
In January 2023, FACIAS initiated legal proceedings against CNAIR, following the discovery of significant administrative irregularities in the latter's management of road infrastructure projects. These irregularities were identified through a series of audits and reports. In its lawsuit, FACIAS highlighted CNAIR's inability to effectively coordinate the process of drafting and implementing pre-feasibility and feasibility studies. The Court of Auditors corroborated these irregularities, indicating in its reports that a considerable proportion of the studies commissioned were either not validated or necessitated costly corrections, thereby contributing to significant delays in the implementation of pivotal projects. Additionally, the Court of Auditors observed a dearth of a coherent strategy in the allocation and utilisation of funds for these studies, which resulted in unwarranted expenditure and the squandering of public funds.
The reports published by the Court of Auditors revealed that between 2010 and 2015, CNAIR allocated approximately €17 million for feasibility studies, many of which remained unused. One illustrative example is provided by 10 projects, amounting to approximately €3.4 million, which were never completed. The highway projects Sibiu-Sebeș, Sibiu-Pitești and Centura București Nord have been significantly impacted by this inefficient administration.
Furthermore, a significant amount of funding has been allocated for the revision and completion of feasibility studies, as outlined below: €3.6 million has been allocated for the construction of the Brașov-Făgăraș highway; €3.4 million for the Târgu Mureș-Târgu Neamț highway; €11.6 million for the Târgu Neamț-Iași-Ungheni highway; and €10 million for the Ploiești-Brașov section. Furthermore, additional costs have been incurred as a result of the revision of the studies for the Iași and Vaslui city bypasses, for which €5000 has been disbursed. Nevertheless, the ring roads in Iași and Vaslui remain incomplete, having only reached the stage of paper projects.
The case brought by FACIAS against CNAIR is currently awaiting resolution by the 1st District Court, following the decision of the Bucharest Court of Appeal to decline jurisdiction. FACIAS is seeking recognition of the significant harm caused to the state and an order for the implementation of robust measures to prevent the further waste of public funds and to recover sums that have been spent inappropriately.
FACIAS maintains that the misappropriation of public resources by CNAIR warrants disciplinary action. This action is part of the "Turn off the waste tap " campaign, which FACIAS initiated to draw attention to the substantial waste of public funds and to hold the authorities accountable for the prudent management of public money.