The scandal continues between the Romanian president and the prime minister, each one taking sides in the teachers' wage increase crisis. The first one says there are enough resources to support the wage increase, the other depicts a true apocalypse that would arrive in case the raise is approved. The good news of the day is that Romanians may soon be able to travel to the US without needing visas.
The recent scandal of the new Police cars, which had a price of 11,000 Euros, but were gifted with equipment over 45,000 Euros per car, ended with no less than 16 officers accused of illegal decisions in the case. The Control Body in the Interior Ministry decided that Gheorghe Popa, former chief of Police, and other 15 officers in the evaluation commission illegally attributed the contract for 1,836 cars costing 78,000 Euros each.
The report issued by the Control Body indicates that the procurement bid was approved without checking the prices for each equipment, only taking into account the global price. The decisions aimed at making a favor to businessman Bogdan Savin, owner of Ager Leasing (the company providing the cars) and his partners, the report reads. A small example of the way the equipment was priced is the alcohol test kit, which costs 9,100 RON (some 2,500 Euros) and was included in the Police cars' equipment for 13,604 RON, Evenimentul Zilei reads.
In the national scandal on the teachers' 50% raise, the battle continues between the President, Traian Basescu, and the Prime Minister, Calin Popescu Tariceanu. The PM sent a letter to president Basescu, warning that the measure would have catastrophic effects on the economy: first of all, all budgetary employees would demand similar raises, then the approval would lead to double salaries in the state sector, compared to the private sector, imports increase by 5 billion Euros, two-digits
