Marina Almășan defends Tudor Bota after a clip filmed at TVR went viral

A clip filmed at the entrance to the Romanian Television building sparked an exchange of statements between TVR representatives after Tudor Bota was seen driving a Porsche into the institution’s grounds. The footage went viral, prompting reactions over the alleged opulence of some employees of the public broadcaster, which is facing a difficult financial situation.

Sorina Matei, TVR’s interim head, publicly criticized the incident, saying that a former employee’s relative had come to work in a luxury car while the institution was facing enforcement proceedings, the absence of a Board of Directors, and financial restrictions.

Tudor Bota told Libertatea that the car did not belong to him and that he had used it at Marina Almășan’s request to transport his mother, Cristiana Bota, who had recently undergone foot surgery. He stressed that he could prove this with official documents.

Marina Almășan explained that the former TVR announcer had been invited to receive an anniversary trophy and needed assistance getting around. The presenter apologized to Tudor Bota and to her TVR colleagues, arguing that they had been unfairly affected by the interpretation of the footage.