Romania’s Deputy Prime Minister Dragoș Anastasiu has stepped down following the resurfacing of a past corruption scandal in which he was previously named as a witness. The resignation comes just a month into the tenure of a fragile coalition government already under fire for its planned economic reforms.
Anastasiu, a key figure appointed by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan to lead reforms of Romania’s underperforming state-owned enterprises, announced his resignation in a public statement on Sunday. The decision follows renewed media attention on a years-old corruption case involving one of his companies and the national tax authority.
According to details now back in the public eye, a company owned by Anastasiu was subjected to a long-running extortion scheme by a tax inspector between 2009 and 2017. The inspector allegedly demanded bribes masked as consultancy fees in exchange for avoiding aggressive audits. While the company eventually reported the incident and the inspector was convicted in 2023, neither Anastasiu nor his business partner were formally charged with any wrongdoing.
In his statement, Anastasiu defended his company’s actions, calling the payments “for survival, not profit,” and reaffirming that all taxes had been paid in full. “I encourage every entrepreneur to speak out about the conditions under which business has been conducted in Romania. We must no longer tolerate what we once did, even when mistakes were made,” he said.
The resignation lands at a critical moment for the government, which is attempting to implement a series of unpopular austerity measures to bring down the European Union’s largest budget deficit. Planned reforms include public sector job cuts, bonus reductions, and tax hikes set to take effect in August.
The economic program has already prompted street protests and stirred discontent within both the public and private sectors. Analysts suggest Anastasiu’s departure may further destabilise the government’s efforts to push ahead with its fiscal agenda.
Despite the political turbulence, Romania narrowly avoided a downgrade from its lowest investment-grade credit rating earlier this month. However, the ongoing market volatility and political uncertainty continue to weigh heavily on investor confidence.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has yet to name a replacement for Anastasiu, but a government spokesperson said that the reform agenda would proceed without delay.
Political observers note that Anastasiu’s departure, though not tied to direct wrongdoing, reflects a growing public intolerance for any association with past corruption—even indirect ones. As the coalition government struggles to maintain credibility amid painful economic decisions, transparency and trust remain central to its survival.
The scandal’s revival highlights Romania’s ongoing struggle to overcome its legacy of institutional corruption and build a governance model based on accountability and rule of law.
