Romania Jails Ex-Minister Over Microsoft Licenses

"A former minister and three others have been handed jail sentences for corruption in Romania in a case linked to Microsoft software licenses," reports Balkan Insight. Prosecutors said the officials had embezzled the entire 47% discount Microsoft offered the Romanian government in a five-year, $105 million contract to supply schools and other public institutions with Microsoft Office licenses. Jail terms up to three years were also handed to a former mayor and two other businessmen who acted as middlemen, and the four defendants were also fined almost 10 million euros. While the court's sentence is not final, "prosecutors said there was manifest corruption in the contract," the article reports, with the officials admitting to the charges in exchange for a one-third reduction in their jail sentences.

Comments

Correction

[penguinoid]

Romania Jails Ex-Minister Over embezzlement.

Re:Correction

[WarJolt]

Romania Jails Ex-Minister Over embezzlement.

Yeah, but they had to throw Microsoft in the title because this is /. after all. Microsoft discounts are immaterial to this case, but it helps it get posted here. These guys stole money by committing fraud. I'm sure they tried to hide their tracks in a number of different ways before finding this latest trick that got them caught.

Re:Correction

[Teun]

I believe the MS part is significant for transparency as a 47% discount means their catalogue price is fully unrealistic and others should be able to follow up.

Should have switched to LibreOffice.

[Gravis Zero]

LibreOffice would have enabled him to embezzle all $105 million. ;)

Not just in the ex eastern block

[Teun]

First I wanted to post this as AC but then decided one day I need to come clean anyway.

I installed Kubuntu including Libreoffice on the missus computer and never told her I took the 100% discount...

Re:Not just in the ex eastern block

[Anonymous Coward]

I once installed Ubuntu on my GF's laptop.

She booted it and gave me a puzzled look, "You-bunt-oo?"

I shrugged, "That's Swahili for Windows".

She beamed with joy, "Oh! I heard about this. It's, like, an expensive version where some money also goes to Africa!? You're such a nice guy."

She still proudly uses the "Windows of the Developing World", and I keep reaping the benefits of her "upgrade" for myself -- I never had the heart to tell her it cost me nothing and her misunderstanding was over a bad joke.

Captcha: Consent.

Governments shouldn't use proprietary software

[Stormwatch]

It should be illegal for governments to use proprietary software in the first place. Do as you wish as an individual, or a private enterprise, but public data cannot be subjected to vendor lock-in. And as governments are supposed to serve the public good (wishful thinking much?), they should promote the development of Free software.

Re:Corporate corruption meets government corruptio

[lucm]

Just for fun call the US GAO and ask them to give you a ball park figure as to how much public money is wasted in the federal government. The answer is: they have no fucking idea how to even start figuring out an answer. The only true answer they can give is that there's 1/2 billion wasted each year in having a GAO.