Dismissed PM sends inspection staff to Transport Ministry, national airline

Dismissed Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has ordered the dispatch of her inspection staff to the Ministry of Transport and to the TAROM SA national airline in order to get clarifications over the managerial aspects reported by the media.

According to a governmental press statement, the inquiry regards this year's activity and will check compliance with the legal provisions regarding corporate governance rules at TAROM, the operation of the aircraft in the company fleet, as well as the Ministry of Transport's fulfilling its rights and obligations arising from shareholdership in TAROM SA.

"I have ordered an immediate inspection that will clarify the serious allegations carried by the media. It is imperative to establish the truth and to ensure that the legal provisions have been observed. In case the authorised staff find legal violations, the guilty must be penalised," said Dancila.

Prime Minister-designate Ludovic Orban on Wednesday quoted TAROM officials as saying that TAROM CEO Madalina Mezei had been dismissed early this week for having refused to ground some flights on the day a censure motion against the Dancila cabinet was to be voted on, given that that day more than 20 lawmakers were to come to Bucharest.

Later, according to publicly available information, Mezei confirmed it, allegedly telling the minister at the same time that such a decision would be an abuse.

TAROM informed on Thursday that the dismissal of Madalina Mezei as interim general manager of TAROM was the result of a unanimous decision of the company's administration board, which found violations of the management contract.

According to a statement put out by TAROM, Mezei delayed the upgrading of the company's short-haul fleet and failed to disclose information about staff downsizing.

Dismissed Transport Minister Razvan Cuc wrote on Thursday evening in a Facebook post that Madalina Mezei should have restructured TAROM instead of playing favourites with certain vested interests inside the airline. AGERPRES