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Romanians Sent to Prison After Corruption Over Microsoft Licences in Schools

posted by martyb on Tuesday March 29 2016, @06:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the microsoft-and-fraud dept.

-- OriginalOwner_ writes:

TechRights reports

Last month, we took note of Microsoft [licenses] in the midst of high-profile corruption and a former Romanian minister is finally going to prison over it. To quote one article about this (in English, not Romanian):

"Romania's high court of cassation and justice on Thursday jailed the former telecommunications minister, Gabriel Sandu, for two years for money laundering, abuse of office, and bribery involving the lease of Microsoft IT licenses for schools.

"The ex-mayor of the eastern town of Piatra Neamt, Gheorghe Stefan, and two other businessmen who acted as middlemen also got jail terms of up to three years.

"The four defendants have also to pay a total of almost 10 million euros in compensation. The Supreme Court's sentence is not final."

It is worth noting that, owing to such corruption, it is Microsoft--not GNU/Linux and Free software--that makes it into Romanian schools. Recent reports serve to indicate Microsoft corruption in other countries; this is still the subject of a US-led probe which maybe some more corruption can somehow scuttle.

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  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday March 29 2016, @09:58PM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Tuesday March 29 2016, @09:58PM (#324540) Journal

    I don't dispute the pattern you've described. It's universal. Corruption happens in every country in exactly the way you've described. In Romania, perhaps, it's more apparent because there are not so many layers of lard as here.

    All I meant to do is say, how great is it that SN has members on the inside of this and can comment. That's the beauty, and for which you all ought to take a short, self-aware bow.

    Romania is quite awesome for breaking with the global media narrative. Bravo, Romania!

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
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  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday March 29 2016, @10:59PM

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 29 2016, @10:59PM (#324552) Journal

    In Romania, perhaps, it's more apparent because there are not so many layers of lard as here.

    Well, seems plausible. Wikipedia entry on the scandal has a quite impressive list of people [wikipedia.org] involved - including 9 former ministers.

    Romania is quite awesome for breaking with the global media narrative. Bravo, Romania!

    Mmmm... some googling over the scandal reveals we should congratulate... FBI [romania-insider.com]

    The investigation in the corruption case in which nine former Romanian ministers are accused of taking bribes for buying overpriced Microsoft software licenses from public funds hasn’t started in Romania, but in the U.S., said the former director of Romania’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) Teodor Melescanu.

    He added that the investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and that this is not a politically influenced investigation/vendetta in Romania, as some politicians claim.

    Besides, the cynical in me says: if the layers of lard are less, maybe the simple fact of buying MS licenses should be punishable with jail.
    Did you know anything to say Romania's education switched away from MS software?
    Because I found something on the contrary [ubuntuforums.org]:

    A chain of stores offered last year for free to 159 schools in Romania 1749 functional notebooks ( Asus X101CH ) with Edubuntu on them.
    Unfortunately I learned that the Ministry of Education began to wipe the Edubuntu system on those notebooks and install Windows .

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford