Scandal in Romania: ex-senator tried to bribe a minister for a contract with Ukraine

Former Romanian senator Marius Ovidiu Isaila was detained on suspicion of trying to bribe Romania's defense minister for 1 million euros. According to Radio Liberty, he was counting on assistance in signing a contract to sell weapons to Ukraine.

The plan was to buy Soviet-style shells in Kazakhstan, bring them to Romania, repair and relabel them as Romanian, and sell them to Ukraine through an intermediary in Bulgaria.

All of this was to be financed by the European program Rearm Europe, designed to support arms production in the EU.

Razvan Mincu, the head of the Romanian arms trading company Romtehnica, said that in early October, he was approached by a delegation led by Bulgarian businessman Roman Angelov. They offered to use the company's contacts in Kazakhstan to purchase ammunition, but Mincu called the offer "suspicious" and refused .

Octavian Berceanu, a politician who became a whistleblower in the case, recorded 17 secret meetings with Isaila for law enforcement. According to him, he was offered 10 million euros for participating in the scheme.

In the recordings of the conversations published by the Romanian website Gandul on November 10, Isaila hints at big money and political influence, stating: "I am the one who opens doors! And I am opening doors for you: NATO, US Embassy, Germany".

Romanian Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu wrote on social media that he "categorically refused" any meetings with a person who tried to buy his influence.

Isaila was taken into custody for 30 days, while the whereabouts of Bulgarian businessman Roman Angelov, the sole owner of Sofia Arm Tech, remain unknown.

• According to the ReArm Europe/Readiness 2030 plan, EU countries can mobilize up to 800 billion euros for defense spending .