More than 35 investigations, just as many reports, 11 interviews and over 1,500 articles about what each and every one of us goes through from day to day. This is the editorial balance of Info Sud-Est in 2024. We have been able to document them and present them to you mainly with your help, those of you who read us and support us financially, including through donations.
Constanta Port truck parking lot: We looked at how a strategic investment has been blocked for 7 years. A seven-hectare parking lot was to be built in the Port of Constanta by 2017 to ease congestion for TIR trucks. However, the former management of the Port of Constanta and CNAIR suddenly and without explanation changed their choice for the land on which the parking lot was to be built, which was foreseen in the Master Plan of the Port of Constanța as the future site of the investment. They chose a neighboring plot with several disadvantages. Except that the land swap is the subject of a DNA in rem investigation (investigating the facts, not a specific person), according to Port officials.
Also in the Port of Constanța we found out who are the big debtors and we created a ranking of the companies from which the state-owned company has to recover debts of over 76 million lei. The money should have been given by private firms for rent and utilities. Gabriel Comănescu’s GSP Group occupies the top three positions, with debts totaling 40 million lei.
One of most important living historians on matters related to Romania, Dennis Deletant, spoke exclusively to us about Romania’s maritime importance. „Romania is a maritime state, but it has no fleet. The Americans have this problem too: We want to secure the Black Sea, but what is Romania doing?” the British historian explained in an interview with Info Sud-Est. In the interview, the historian also pointed out that for the US, the port of Constanța is „of great interest” and „Constanta is a crucial point” for the strategic interest of the Americans.
We were among the first to see the pro-Russian candidate with the legionary speech Călin Georgescu coming and we wrote about the whole scheme on TikTok. We wrote exclusively about how Georgescu rose significantly in the polls in the last month after a massive promotion strategy on TikTok, according to data analyzed by reporters on the Chinese social network.
We have shown you how prosecutors ignored anti-Semitism and legionary propaganda in the context of Călin Georgescu, the candidate with a legionary speech, winning the first round of the presidential elections, which was later annulled by the CCR.
The prosecutors ignored episodes of anti-Semitism and legionary propaganda recorded in Romania over the past two years, according to a response from the General Prosecutor’s Office (PG) to Info Sud-Est and G4Media.
At the same time, we tried to find out from the General Prosecutor’s Office, headed by Alex Florența, why it closed the case of Călin Georgescu for praising war criminals and the cult of legionaries. The prosecutor’s office refused to say why it closed the case.
We also uncovered the business dealings of the brother of the head of the SIE, who has associated with gambling kingpins and other underworld figures. Constantin Vlase, the brother of the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE), is in the real estate business with Elvis Petcu, a former defendant in the Beinur clan case, known on the seaside for the underworld scandals he caused in the early 2000s, and with Alexandru Olea, the owner of the Magnum betting and gambling company.
We haven’t stopped looking at how public money is spent this year either. We showed how Constanța City Hall has not only failed to complete work on the city’s biggest boulevards, but also that some firms in the scheme are subscribers to contracts with the city hall and others have criminal connections.
Constanta chaos, modernization of major boulevards: delays, inflated costs and criminal connections
Although towards the end of this year, the Constanța City Council decided to dismiss the head of the Municipal Sports Club of Constanța, Andrei Talpeș, following financial problems at the local government-funded club, Info Sud-Est wrote back in March about how CSM Constanța gave 1 million lei for promotion and press to a firm with one employee. ISE revealed that CSM Constanta has spent in the last three years about 3.5 million lei for promotion and publicity. The money went to the same firm, with one employee, and started to flow from the period when Andrei Talpes promoted the contest for the club’s management, organized by the Constanta City Hall.
We also took a closer look in Constanța county, where a commune with less than 5,000 inhabitants spent €1.1 million exclusively on direct purchases, more than Constanța municipality, which has a population 50-60 times larger.
We did not neglect young people either. We addressed several important topics: mental health, extremism, theater, sports. The ISE gave a voice to talented young people who have something to say in society.
Student Vote: No extremist parties
It was also the turn of the candidates in the May 2024 European Parliament elections: We looked at their wealth, conflicts of interest and criminal records, as well as statements spreading hate or conspiracies. We thought it was important to know who you will be voting for on June 9, which is why Context.ro, Info Sud-Est and Pressone have analyzed the wealth declarations of 66 candidates in this year’s elections.
Rich in Brussels. Millionaires asking for our vote for the European Parliament
Politicians and cash. Only one MEP candidate claims to have cash on hand
Outrage, corruption and bites. List of Euro candidates with criminal problems and public scandals
In the summer, we tried to see how safe bathing is on the Romanian coast. Thus, PressOne and Info Sud-Est tested the water quality in 4 resorts, because in high season, tens of thousands of people bathe in the waters of the Black Sea, where dangerous substances or bacteria can end up from spills and contaminated water from various mass tourism operators.
We found values up to a hundred times higher than those reported by the DSP over the same period and three times higher than the legal limits.
This summer we also showed you how beach hustlers who don’t have rental contracts with Apele Romane make money. ISE reporters have been monitoring two beach sectors in Eforie Sud for a month, after initially reporting the situation to Apele Române. One month after the report, the beaches were still operating and the operators were charging 35 lei per day, often without issuing a receipt, for each of the 600 or so sun loungers.
We also took a close look at the parliamentary candidates in the south-east of Romania and tracked their education, professional activity, political career, wealth, wealth, controversies, state and private business. We analyzed over 100 candidates for the Chamber of Deputies and Senate from PSD, PNL, USR, AUR and S.O.S. Romania.
We showed with Context.ro who are the candidates of the POT party, founded in 2023, which supports the pro-Russian candidate Călin Georgescu.
Finally, we showed you who are the richest MPs in southeast Romania. We found deputies and senators with hundreds of hectares, dozens of plots of land, jewelry worth hundreds of thousands of euros, houses and apartments without number or annual incomes exceeding €1 million. The counties we looked at are Constanța, Tulcea, Brăila, Galați, Călărași and Ialomița.
20 years in Parliament: Cristina Dumitrache, daughter of Constanta PSD chief, wants fifth term at 42
Four mandates, six parties: Liberal Mircea Banias wants a fifth term in Parliament
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