UK authorities have confiscated £1.4 million from former Romanian MP Cristian Boureanu at Bucharest’s request, enforcing a 2022 court-ordered damages payment in a railway corruption case. The seizure, coordinated under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, marks a significant cross-border asset recovery effort despite Boureanu’s conviction being overturned on statute of limitations grounds.
UK authorities seize £1.4 million from Cristian Boureanu at Romania’s request
By AGERPRES, reporting by Eusebi Manolache (Romanian) and Simona Iacob (English)
UK authorities have seized £1.4 million from former MP Cristian Boureanu at Romania’s request, representing part of the damages he is required to pay in connection with a corruption case involving the rehabilitation of the Bucharest-Constanta railway.
The Justice Ministry said on Friday it had been informed by UK authorities, through the Crown Prosecution Service, that £1,415,794 had been seized from Cristian Alexandru Boureanu.
The seizure followed an enforcement request submitted by the Justice Ministry in 2024, acting as the central authority, at the request of the Bucharest Tribunal’s First Criminal Division. The legal basis for the request was the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Background to the Bucharest-Constanta railway corruption case
In March 2022, Boureanu was initially sentenced by the Supreme Court to four years and three months in prison for influence peddling in the corruption case involving a 20-million-euro bribe for the rehabilitation of the Bucharest-Constanta railway.
On appeal, the same court overturned his conviction in May 2023 on the grounds that the offences had become time-barred.
In the same case, former Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu (Cristian Boureanu’s godfather) was sentenced to seven years and four months, while Mircea Ionut Costea (Mircea Geoana’s brother-in-law) was sentenced to six years. A panel headed by Lia Savonea subsequently overturned their convictions on the grounds that the offences had become time-barred.
The defendants are nevertheless required to pay the damages, which in Boureanu’s case amount to 2.1 million euros.
Justice Ministry statement on the asset seizure
“The measure enforces the special confiscation of 2,111,799 euros ordered by Criminal Judgment No. 127 of March 24, 2022 of the High Court of Cassation and Justice – Criminal Division, in case No. 2987/1/2019,”
the Justice Ministry said.
“The judgment became final through Criminal Decision No. 48 of May 26, 2023, issued by a five-judge panel of the Supreme Court.”
“The enforcement procedure took time,”
the ministry added.
“Throughout the process, the Justice Ministry, together with the Bucharest Tribunal, consistently supported the request and responded to every request for additional information from the UK authorities until the procedure was completed.”
“Recovering proceeds of crime, including assets held in other countries, remains a constant priority for the Justice Ministry,”
the statement continued.
“In recent years, the ministry has stepped up its efforts in this area, both through its role as the central authority for international judicial cooperation and through the National Agency for the Management of Seized Assets, which it oversees.”
“In the coming period, the Justice Ministry and UK authorities will determine how the confiscated funds will be distributed,” the Justice Ministry said.
Interim Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu comments on asset recovery policy
“Since 2011, when I established the Asset Recovery Office within the Justice Ministry, later becoming ANABI, I have advocated focusing efforts on recovering damages and proceeds of crime in general, applying the ‘follow the money’ principle,”
interim Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu said.
“Applied systematically and consistently, this principle is a very powerful ‘weapon’ in combating corruption, tax evasion and crime in general,”
Predoiu added.
“The Justice Ministry and ANABI will continue this policy, supporting the efforts of the judicial system in this direction.”
Details of the corruption scheme according to prosecutors
According to Libertatea.ro, citing Radio România Actualități, the former PNL deputy and former PD-L vice-president Cristian Boureanu was prosecuted and convicted at first instance to three years and six months in prison for influence peddling, being accused of intermediating the bribe network in the CFR case.
According to DNA prosecutors, in 2009, Boureanu put the representative of the Austrian company Swietelsky in contact with the finance minister at the time, Sebastian Vlădescu.
Following this mediation, the politicians accepted a 10% commission from the value of payments made by CNCFR, to ensure the unblocking of funds and the running of contracts for the rehabilitation of the Bucharest-Constanta railway, from a total bribe mentioned in the case of approximately 20 million euros.
Legal framework and international cooperation
As reported by ProTV, the execution was carried out through the Crown Prosecution Service, based on the post-Brexit agreement between the EU and Great Britain.
Nevertheless, the measure agreed with Great Britain implements the special confiscation of over 2.1 million euros definitively ordered by the High Court, the recovery procedure being completed at the request of the Bucharest Tribunal.
What happens next to the seized funds
In the coming period, the Justice Ministry and UK authorities will determine how the confiscated funds will be distributed, according to the Justice Ministry statement.
The enforcement procedure took considerable time, with the Justice Ministry and Bucharest Tribunal consistently supporting the request and responding to every request for additional information from UK authorities until completion.
Broader context of Romania’s asset recovery efforts
Recovering proceeds of crime, including assets held in other countries, remains a constant priority for the Justice Ministry. In recent years, the ministry has stepped up its efforts in this area, both through its role as the central authority for international judicial cooperation and through the National Agency for the Management of Seized Assets (ANABI), which it oversees.
Interim Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu emphasised that since 2011, when he established the Asset Recovery Office within the Justice Ministry, later becoming ANABI, he has advocated focusing efforts on recovering damages and proceeds of crime in general, applying the ‘follow the money’ principle.
