Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BUCHAREST1171
2006-07-21 17:35:00
SECRET
Embassy Bucharest
Cable title:  

THREE ROMANIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEFS AND GENERAL

Tags:  PGOV KCOR KJUS PREL PINR PTER RO 
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VZCZCXRO7939
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV
DE RUEHBM #1171/01 2021735
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 211735Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4853
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BUCHAREST 001171 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE DEPT FOR EUR/NCE - SILKWORTH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2016
TAGS: PGOV KCOR KJUS PREL PINR PTER RO
SUBJECT: THREE ROMANIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEFS AND GENERAL
PROSECUTOR RESIGN AFTER OMAR HAYSSAM REPORTED MISSING
BEFORE CORRUPTION TRIAL

Classified By: CDA Rodger Garner for Reasons 1.4 B, C, and D

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BUCHAREST 001171

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE DEPT FOR EUR/NCE - SILKWORTH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2016
TAGS: PGOV KCOR KJUS PREL PINR PTER RO
SUBJECT: THREE ROMANIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEFS AND GENERAL
PROSECUTOR RESIGN AFTER OMAR HAYSSAM REPORTED MISSING
BEFORE CORRUPTION TRIAL

Classified By: CDA Rodger Garner for Reasons 1.4 B, C, and D


1. (C) Three Romanian Intelligence Chiefs and the General
Prosecutor resigned July 20 and 21 amid a media frenzy over
Omar Hayssam's disappearance before being prosecuted in court
in connection with the 2005 Romanian hostage crisis in Iraq.
Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) Director Radu Timofte,
External Intelligence Service (SIE) Director Gheorghe Fulga,
and Police Intelligence Service (DGPI) Director Virgil
Ardelean submitted resignations immediately following a July
20 meeting with President Traian Basescu that centered on why
they could not locate Omar Hayssam, who was ordered
re-arrested for his involvement in the kidnapping of three
Romanian journalists in Iraq. Hayssam had been released from
custody by the Bucharest Appeals Court on medical grounds.
The President approved all resignations immediately, leading
most analysts to conclude that he had specifically asked for
them to resign. On July 21, General Prosecutor Ilie Botos
resigned after a meeting with President Basescu. Botos
confirmed to the Embassy that the President asked him to
resign due to a lack of coordination between the prosecutors'
office and the intelligence services on the Hayssam case.


2. (S) Leadership of two of the intelligence services will
continue under the young deputy directors whom the President
appointed last year, Florin Coldea at SRI and Silviu Predoiu
at SIE. Many analysts believe they will also be promoted as
the President had long indicated he would remove Timofte and
Fulga at the right time, and had kept them on only nominally
while relying more on the deputy directors. According to the
law, the future chiefs of the SRI and SIE should be appointed
by Presidential decree, but must be approved by the
Parliament and the Supreme Council for National Defense
(CSAT). The chief of DGPI should be appointed by the

President, following the proposal of Minister of Internal
Affairs Vasile Blaga. The future General Prosecutor (GP) must
be nominated by Minister of Justice Monica Macovei, confirmed
by the Superior Council of Magistrates (CSM),and approved by
the President. Deputy General Prosecutor Marcel Sampetru will
fill the GP's role in the interim, but according to MOJ
contacts, is unlikely to be nominated. While the timing of
Botos' resignation caught the office of the Minister of
Justice by surprise, the Minister had long made public her
wish to replace him, but noted the "political restraints" on
doing so up until now. While MOJ contacts refused to
speculate who would get the nomination for GP, one analyst
pointed to Financial Intelligence Unit board member Flabius
Krasnik, who was a former drug prosecutor, as a possibility.
The National Anticorruption Directorate's Daniel Morar could
be another possibility, but would that would entail his
leaving the DNA before any of its major cases achieve
convictions in court.


3. (S) Omar Hayssam is popularly referred to as "Romania's
number one terrorist" for his involvement in arranging a
kidnapping of three Romanian journalists in Iraq. According
to credible sources, this kidnapping was allegedly intended
to make Hayssam look good when he offered the 4 million euros
to free them and was intended to win the government's favor
and get the corruption prosecutors off his case. But, his
plan went awry when other kidnappers took his hostages.
Haysamm's alleged history of corruption includes winning a
fixed auction in 2003 for Baneasa SA Industrial Park, even
though his bid was lower than the competition's, and he
proceeded to ignore obligations and instead sold off the
assets for more than 80 times the purchase price. Hayssam
also allegedly engaged in asset stripping in another business
of his, Agro City Center, that left nine other companies
severely damaged through unfulfilled transactions. He has
also allegedly been involved with counterfeiting, smuggling,
bribery, fraud, and tax evasion. Hayssam has had a wide range
of business activities in Romania including forest
exploitation, metal exporting, manufacturing electronic
components, bottling mineral water, as well involvement in
construction, transportation, auto dealerships, and hotels.
Hayssam is one of Romania's richest businessmen, with an
estimated wealth of $100 million.


4. (C) Comment: Basescu was rumored to have wanted
replacement of the three intelligence chiefs for quite some
time. The disappearance of Hayssam seems to have provided him
with the opportunity for ousting the three. There have been
no announcements with regard to their possible replacements,
and their agencies will be led by their deputies for the time
being. According to many Embassy contacts, Minister of
Justice Monica Macovei was long dissatisfied with Botos, whom
was believed to be personally close to Basescu. In a recent
press interview, Macovei criticized Botos for poor management
but stated the only reason she kept Botos on was due to

BUCHAREST 00001171 002 OF 002


unspecified political reasons, interpreted by many to mean
Basescu's influence. Botos' resignation -- which came
directly at the request of Basescu -- demonstrates Botos had
lost the president's confidence, perhaps as a result of
supposed mismanagement of the Hayssam case, but more likely
more broadly related to the latter's poor record thus far in
prosecuting high level corruption cases.
TAUBMAN