The Appeals Chamber dismissed financial claims against ASP in excess of Le100 million for allegedly defaulting on payments between 2020 and 2021.
According to an ASP press release, the conflict arose from the Agency’s refusal to continue a contractual scheme considered unprofitable and raising suspicions of corruption. Following a change in leadership in 2021, the ASP decided to stop making payments that were considered unjustified and to protect the public interest, even if it entailed an international arbitration process.
The case concerns a series of contracts signed in previous years that required the government to pay royalties to private companies for the use of certain technologies in the production of ID cards. This fee meant that each citizen who issued a passport during that period unreasonably paid 13 dollars, which was included in the cost of the service.
According to investigations, the scheme included corrupt payments to intermediary companies until 2019. Bulgarian company Optimo IT Solutions LTD, which inherited the rights under these contracts, filed a lawsuit against ASP in international arbitration, demanding more than 100 million lei for allegedly unfulfilled obligations.
Based on suspicions of abuse of office, corruption and money laundering, criminal proceedings were initiated in 2021 for acts committed between 2014 and 2020, with a total financial loss estimated at around €41 million, by former employees of the institutions responsible for issuing identity cards.
According to the director of the Agency, Mircea Eşanu, the perpetrators of the scheme continued to demand money even after some of them fled abroad and others were undergoing criminal proceedings. They demanded almost 100 million lei from the ASP on top of the 41 million euros already received. He said that the fight against corruption continues and in the context of the criminal case against Plahotniuc, Andronaki and Co. he filed a civil suit requesting the return to the state of 41 million euros unjustly paid to ASP.
