The New Ministers Are Looking for Their Chairs

The new ministers found their offices from the Victoria Palace empty. Furniture and several office items are missing. In the last days of their leading period, the former Executive transferred these goods from the Government to the Deputies’ Chamber.

TROUBLESOME INHERITANCE. Victor Ponta left his office empty for his successor, Cristian David.

The ministers of the Tariceanu Cabinet found their offices at the Victoria Palace empty. Furniture pieces and the office items necessary for the daily activities are missing. This is because the former SDP (Social Democratic Party) ministers "took their toys" when they left the Government. Based on a decision dated the 29th of December 2004, these goods have been transferred from the patrimony of the Prime-Minister’s Office to the one of the Deputy Chamber, the new work place of the former SDP ministers.

THINNED INVENTORY. According to an initial evaluation, objects having a total value of 789.4 million lei are missing from the Victoria Palace. These objects are tables, armchairs - lathered and ergonomic - cases, lockers, desks. The most expensive is an armchair valuing 82 million lei, and the cheapest is a case of 2.8 million lei. "We found the Governments institution emptied of furniture and of the minimum equipment necessary for the daily activities. The furniture in my office has been brought in a hurry, there is no computer, and the phones weren’t working. I understand this isn’t the only office where this happened", Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu told to the journalists yesterday.

He stated that some of these objects got to the Victoria Palace due to some sponsorship the Government benefited from. "The sponsorship hasn’t been for a certain person, but for the Government", Tariceanu said.

JUSTIFICATION. Yesterday, the former chief of the Prime Minister’s Office, Alin Teodorescu, stated that he didn’t sign the official report with the list of the goods transferred and that the secretary of state Vasile Rus signed it. Teodorescu also said that the furniture transfer is legal because "the inventory objects can be transferred from one public institution to another".

In his turn, the former general secretary of the Government, Eugen Bejinariu, said that Tariceanu’s accusations have no valid grounds. "All the offices, including the Prime-Minister’s office, had furniture, phones and pictures", Bejinariu said. He said the absence of the computers can be explained by the fact that each high official has the right to a personal computer, where certain confidential documents are stored. He also said that he had to bring his own computer when he took over his minister mandate. Bejinariu blamed the weather on the 30th of December for the phones’ out of order status.