Raed Arafat, indicted in the “Helicopter” case / DSU chief rejects the accusations

Secretary of State Raed Arafat, head of the Department for Emergency Situations, was indicted on Friday in the “Helicopter” case, investigated by the Military Prosecutor’s Office. He is accused of smuggling in connection with the purchase of a helicopter from the United Kingdom without paying VAT.

Arafat appeared before the Military Prosecutor’s Office and stated upon leaving that he did not understand how the alleged offense could be justified. Previously, he had rejected the accusations and claimed that his inclusion in the case was “forced and artificial.”

The case concerns the replacement of an SMURD helicopter that crashed on June 2, 2016, near the locality of Haragîș, in the Republic of Moldova. The accident caused the deaths of the four crew members and the destruction of the aircraft, which was CASCO-insured.

According to prosecutors, the insurer replaced the helicopter with an aircraft taken over by the General Aviation Inspectorate in November 2017, from the island of Guernsey, which is outside the European Union’s VAT area. The aircraft was allegedly brought into Romania and used without completing customs formalities and without paying or guaranteeing the applicable duties.

The estimated damage to the state budget, representing VAT due at customs, amounts to 4,435,269 lei. Another 16 people are also being criminally investigated in the case for smuggling in the forms of co-perpetration, complicity, and instigation.