The Foundation For The Defense Of Citizens Against State Abuses believes that, following the recent dialogue with the Ministry of Finance and ANAF, the first steps have been taken to correct the way in which the list of large debtors is presented to the public. However, citizens have the right to know the amount of the sums that can still be recovered by the state, which debts have been definitively lost by the Romanian state and who is responsible for them.
Although the document known to the public as the "List of Shame" is now prioritized according to accumulated tax liabilities, FACIAS notes that the current form of the list does not give a clear picture of the real chances of recovering these debts. The inefficiency of the list is demonstrated by the companies at the very top of the ranking: of the top 15 entities listed by ANAF, eight are bankrupt, two others have been declared insolvent, and three others are in insolvency.
For example, the first company in the ranking, Italia Tobacco Production S.R.L., is bankrupt and its last public balance sheet was filed in 2011. However, the company is listed with a debt of around €300 million. The second company in the ranking, Agroponte SRL, is declared insolvent and its last public balance sheet was filed in 2013. This company is listed in ANAF's records with a similar claim of almost €300 million against the Romanian state.
Given the legal and fiscal situation of these companies, the probability of the state recovering this money is, realistically, almost non-existent.
Given these circumstances, what use is the list of shame?
In view of the major public interest and the need to take responsibility for the amounts lost, FACIAS asks the Ministry of Finance and ANAF for answers to three key questions:
- What is the amount of definitively compromised claims?
- From which companies can debts to the Romanian state be recovered concretely?
- Who is responsible for the hundreds of millions of euros lost by the Romanian state?
Without that information, the list of the biggest debtors remains a mere inventory of debts, not a functional tool for recovering public money.
FACIAS reiterates that, as part of the "Who is responsible?" campaign, it has proposed to the Ministry of Finance and ANAF the creation of the post of "General Executor". This authority would intervene proactively to recover outstanding debts from debtors, especially those exceeding the 180-day threshold.