The Minister of Defense, Radu Miruță, spoke on Tuesday at the “Adevarul” Interviews about the controversy regarding Automecanica SA, which, since 2023, is owned by businessmen with connections in the Russian Federation, and which should produce COBRA II armored vehicles for the Romanian Army.
“The respective company submits some documents to the Ministry of Economy, the ministry makes some checks as it can. It sends these documents to the institutions that can check more in Romania, after which an opinion is given.
The company you are talking about (ed. – Automecanica SA) received this notice before we were in the Government. We don’t know what the institutions had in mind then, but I can tell you that from my interaction, since I was the Minister of Economy, usually the checks are serious. Either then they were frivolous, or they were serious and nothing came of it. I don’t know what the checkers had in mind at the time,” stated the minister at “Interviurile Adevărul”.
Also, Radu Miruță admits that Otokar made several reports regarding Automecanica.
“Giving this amount of money is not very affordable. We don’t like to impose them. But I tell you that for me there is no such thing as forgetting, like that, more sympathetically, to a company or others. These are the contractual conditions of the Romanian Army, we march with these and we impose them.
They made several reports (no Otokar company). It is everyone’s right to report. How is my obligation, as a minister, to follow the interests of the Romanian Army, namely to have the product on time and to make it in Romania as we agreed in the contract”, stated the Minister of Defense.
About the possibility of license withdrawal
Asked about the possibility of withdrawing the “national operator in the defense industry” license, obtained including with the MApN’s approval, Miruță passed the responsibility to other institutions.
“We are the beneficiaries of a product that runs with this Otokar companywhich in turn subcontracted various other companies from Romania. How the firm interacts with its subcontractors is its responsibility, not the ministry’s.
If the institutions of the Romanian state, at the Ministry of Economy, I don’t know, at the Romanian Information Service or elsewhere, there is information according to which this license should be withdrawn, I am absolutely convinced that they should do it. But I, as the Ministry of Defense, am only looking at the entity that I have contracted to deliver my product. I cannot comment on things that are the responsibility of other structures in Romania to be verified. I am interested in pursuing the interest of the Ministry of Defense, which involves the pursuit of the obligations in the contract, that this is carried out in compliance with or in violation of other aspects, it is not in the attribute of the Ministry of Defense to investigate such things”, stated Radu Miruta.
About the defense industry firm owned by businessmen with connections in the Russian Federation
A contract for the purchase of 1,059 armored vehicles for the Romanian Army has revealed vulnerabilities in the protection of classified information and critical infrastructure. The Romanian state allowed the Automecanica SA company to operate in the defense industry, taken over in 2023 by investors with ties to the Russian Federation.
Glinka is an influential figure in Moscow, being a former shareholder of Transmashholding, the main producer of rolling stock in the Russian Federation. For his part, the administrator Andrei Scobioală conducted business in the Russian Federation. According to our information, he would hold or at least have held the citizenship of this country. Scobioala denies this. “Adevărul” reported extensively on the ties of the two businessmen in the Russian Federation.
Previously, Radu Miruță declared that the responsibility belongs to both the Turkish company Otokar and the Ministry of Economy, and Minister Irineu Darău announces the tightening of legislation to prevent similar cases.
As CSAT explains
According to the response sent by CSAT to “Adevărul”, the Commission for the Examination of Foreign Direct Investments (CEISD) launched a “detailed research procedure” and requested CSAT’s opinion in the case of the transaction by which Automecanica SKB Property SRL acquired 51.4242%, respectively Andrei Scobioală 33% of the share capital of Popeci Utilaj Greu SA. The analysis was carried out “within the legal term of 90 days”, and the result was promptly communicated to CEISD.
“We inform you that the CEISD has launched the detailed investigation procedure and requested the opinion of the CSAT in the case of the transaction by which Automecanica SKB Property SRL, a company owned by Mr. Sergei Glinka and Mr. Andrei Scobioală, acquired 51.4242%, respectively 33% of the share capital of Popeci Utilaj Greu SA, a transaction that was analyzed by the members of the Supreme Council of National Defense, within the legal term of 90 days from the request. The result of this analysis was communicated, by the Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Defense, to the Commission for the examination of foreign direct investments”. relayed CSAT for “The Truth.”
