Raed Arafat, inculpat pentru contrabandă în dosarul privind achiziţionarea unui elicopter - Economica.net

Raed Arafat, head of the Emergency Situations Department, is under criminal investigation for smuggling related to a helicopter purchase from the UK, avoiding VAT payment. He confirmed his status as a defendant and emphasized his right to defend himself within legal and decent limits. Seventeen individuals are implicated in the case, which stems from a 2016 helicopter crash during a SMURD mission in Moldova, resulting in four fatalities. The investigation revealed that the replacement helicopter was brought into Romania without fulfilling customs formalities, leading to a VAT loss of 4,435,269 lei for the state budget. The prosecutor's office indicated that the involved parties allowed the insurer to settle the claim without proper customs procedures.