Interim Minister of Culture, Demeter: “We notify the Russians, we sell the radio for 5 million and I put … in the national interest, because I am Hungarian!”

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An audio recording that reached the attention of the media shows the Minister of Culture, Demeter András István (UDMR), in a discussion held within the Ministry of Culture, in which it refers to an episode from 2012 related to an investigation by the General Prosecutor’s Office regarding the acquisition of Radio Chisinau by Radio Romania. The material is presented by the publication 2mnews.rowhich claims to play audio content in authentic form.

According to 2mnews.ro, the minister referred to a situation from 2012, when the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice was analyzing possible irregularities related to the acquisition of Radio Chisinau by Radio Romania. In this context, the publication fully reproduces a fragment attributed to the minister, emphasizing that the audio material is authentic:

“I say: Madam Prosecutor, you can play as much as you want, but if I get angry, I’ll leave now, because we’re still on the board of directors – all the others who voted for this money are still in the management of the radio -, we’re doing well, we notify the Russians, we sell the radio for 5 million (no, euros), you no longer have the alleged damage, the Romanian state will win, it will be in profit. the national interest, because I’m Hungarian! So you should give me a statue, because I did what you weren’t able to do, and you doubt me there”.

The position of the minister: explanations and nuances

Initially contacted by the cited source, Minister Demeter did not deny the existence of the recording and offered an interpretation of the context in which the statement would have been made. He claimed that the discussion is related to the file regarding the purchase of Radio Chisinau and a debate about the national interest and the economic and geopolitical risks of that operation.

“I don’t deny that it exists (record no). I remember, it was about the file of the Prosecutor’s Office at the High Court of Cassation and Justice: Radio Romania acquired Radio Chisinau from the Moldovan stock market, initially 50% of the shares were acquired, then it reached 99% and Romania ended up owning the radio station, which continued to broadcast in Romanian.

There was a discussion about the abuses that followed… We (no, the Board of Directors of Radio Romania) undertook this purchase. Then a file was opened that investigated a possible damage caused to the Romanian state and that’s how it came about the national interest… I have nothing to deny. I told the prosecutor that if the national interest does not matter, because the national interest was not to buy Russia and the station to continue broadcasting in Romanian, then it can be sold to Russia and Romania recovers its money.

I am a Hungarian, a Romanian citizen of Hungarian ethnicity, but in that context, on the merits, I do not reproach myself for anything, because I served, internally and externally, the interest of Romania… The file was closed after 2 years. Basically, it was an anecdotal story from 2011-2012, when it took place… We cannot equate an anecdote with a personal position, regardless of whether it is in a civilian or official capacity…”, declared the minister.

Later, in a written correspondence sent to the publication, Demeter questioned the interpretation of the material, suggesting the possibility of editing or taking it out of context.