Romanian Deputy Prime Minister Dragos Anastaziou resigned today due to an old corruption scandal in which he was a witness.

Prime Minister Ilie Bolozoz had commissioned Anastaziou the supervision of the reform of state companies, in the context of a broader effort to reduce the fiscal deficit and limiting unnecessary costs and the inefficiency of the government.

Last week it was revealed that one of the companies belonging to Anastaziou was blackmailed by an inspector of the tax office and paid him for eight years, starting in 2009 to avoid time -consuming inspections. The company later denounced the inspector, who was convicted of bribery in 2023. Anastaziou and his partner were never prosecuted for an offense.

Anastaziou said the company had paid all its taxes and that it paid money to the taxpayer “to survive, not to have a profit”.

“I urge every businessman to speak and say under what circumstances the jobs are being done in Romania and no longer accept what we did,” he said to reporters today.

The government, which intends to raise many taxes in August, to dismiss civil servants and cut benefits, has already been confronted with protests. But she avoided the downgrading of her debt from the rating agencies.