OLAF, looks into Metrorex, namely Metro line 5 - Drumul Taberei

The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) carried out a three-day control at Metrorex, looking into the M5 metro line, sources with the Transport Ministry told AGERPRES on Thursday. 

According to the sources, OLAF requested the documents, without mentioning if there are any problems regarding this contract or stating anything at the end of the control, which ended on Wednesday. 

"OLAF is the audit of the European Commission that can look into any project based on European funds. Taking into account that this project [the Metro line 5- M5] is near its completion and the amount drawn is very big, OLAF can conduct controls at anytime. OLAF officials stayed three days at the metro, and verified documents regarding M5, but they didn't say 'We came to look into this case' and 'This is our verdict' when concluding the control. They have the right to carry out controls at all times and they didn't say 'We came to control this and this.' They only requested documents of the M5," the sources stated. 

In the central press, information surfaced on Thursday, according to which, OLAF agents verified the documents at the Transport Ministry regarding the payments made by Metrorex to the contractors of M5 (Drumul Taberei). According to some governmental sources, quoted in the respective article, OLAF suspects overpriced payments made to the company consortium led by Astaldi, payments that were supposedly made with the complicity of some Metrorex employees, a company subordinate to the Transport ministry. 

The M5 project is funded from non-reimbursable funds within the Sectoral Operational Programme - Transport 2007-2013 and the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme 2014-2020. The M5 has three sections: Eroilor - Drumul Taberei, Eroilor - Iancului, Iancului - Pantelimon, respectively.