Deputy Prime Minister of Romania steps down in the wake of renewed corruption accusations
Dragoș Anastasiu, Romania's Deputy Prime Minister, announced his resignation on July 27th, 2025, following a resurfaced corruption scandal involving him.
The scandal concerned a period from 2009 to 2017 when Anastasiu's firm, Eurolines (also known as Touring Europabus Romania), was allegedly blackmailed by a tax inspector into paying bribes. The bribes, worth approximately €150,000–€170,000, were disguised as monthly €2,000 consultancy fees to avoid burdensome audits and facilitate VAT refunds.
The tax inspector, Georgeta Angela Burlacu, was convicted in 2023 for bribery and influence peddling, having demanded these payments through a fictitious consultancy contract with her son’s company. Anastasiu, who admitted in court that he perceived the demand for payments as blackmail, complied to protect his business and employees. He maintained he did not engage in tax evasion, portraying the payments as coerced under unfair tax authority conditions.
Despite not being indicted, Anastasiu's resignation aims to avoid damaging the government's image and its reforms. The resignation adds pressure on the government as it prepares to implement tax increases, cut public sector bonuses, and lay off staff.
The scandal caused significant political fallout, leading to Anastasiu’s resignation only weeks after his appointment. It is important to note that neither Anastasiu nor his business partner were charged with any wrongdoing in relation to this case.
This article was written by Dr. Mansour Al-Maswari, a Yemeni academician with a Ph.D. in English "Comparative Literature" and two MA degrees, currently serving as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University-Global Center, Amman.
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[2] "Anastasiu admits to paying bribes to tax inspector." Romania-Insider.com. 2023. [Online]. Available: https://romania-insider.com/anastasiu-admits-to-paying-bribes-to-tax-inspector/
[3] "Anastasiu's firm paid €150,000 in bribes to tax inspector, court hears." Romania-Insider.com. 2023. [Online]. Available: https://romania-insider.com/anastasiu-firm-paid-150000-in-bribes-to-tax-inspector-court-hears/
[4] "Anastasiu's firm paid bribes to tax inspector to avoid audits, court hears." Romania-Insider.com. 2023. [Online]. Available: https://romania-insider.com/anastasiu-firm-paid-bribes-to-tax-inspector-to-avoid-audits-court-hears/
- The unexpected resignation of Romania's Deputy Prime Minister, Dragoș Anastasiu, on July 27th, 2025, has been attributed to a resurfaced corruption scandal from his tenure as a businessman between 2009 and 2017.
- The scandal involved Anastasiu's firm, Eurolines, allegedly being blackmailed by a tax inspector, Georgeta Angela Burlacu, to pay bribes, disguised as consultancy fees, worth approximately €150,000–€170,000.
- This came to light in 2023 when Burlacu was convicted for bribery and influence peddling, and it was revealed that the payments were facilitated through a fictitious consultancy contract with her son’s company.
- The scandal, which caused significant political fallout, has added pressure on the government as it prepares to implement tax increases, cut public sector bonuses, and lay off staff in the name of financial reform, further highlighting the intersection of politics and finance in Romania.
