It seems unlikely at first glance, but it is true! The prosecutor’s offices and the Romanian Intelligence Service (“SRI”) have spent over Euro 141 billion on intercepting the 6 million Romanians they eavesdropped on, according to Claudiu Manda, during 2005 -2016. That is more than the damages claimed in the case files prepared by the prosecutor’s offices and by SRI. The amount is very easy to compute and it is based on the very costs submitted by the DNA, determined at lei 2.57 per minute of interception, costs mentioned in the documents that Lumea Justitiei presents in exclusivity.

In 2018, Senator Claudiu Manda, president of the SRI activity Control Commission, disclosed an unbelievable fact. Namely that 6 million Romanians were intercepted during 2005 – 2016, years in which SRI was coordinated by the couple George Maior (left side photo) - Florian Coldea (right side photo).

“The total of these documents for authorization and surveillance during 2005 – 2016 means 311,000 warrants. On the background in which we can think of an average of 20 intercepted persons or phone numbers per a surveillance warrant, we can imagine there were more than 6 million people intercepted", claimed Claudiu Manda. The very figure mentioned by Senator Manda is what we will take into consideration in the disclosures that follow.

Lei 2.57 per minute of interception, lei 314 per hour of surveillance

As we mentioned in the beginning of the article, the cost on one minute of interception is lei 2.57. It results from an official document of the DNA. The document in case is a letter signed by the head of DNA Brasov, Cornel David Deca, in the case file concerning the journalist Dan Andronic, the businessman Remus Truica, the Israeli billionaires Tal Silberstein and Benyamin Steinmetz, Paul of Romania, lawyer Robert Rosu and others. At the request of the Brasov Court of Appeal, the prosecutor Cornel David Deca has presented in detail the costs of the interceptions made and of the surveillance operations. To this effect, the head of DNA Brasov, Cornel David Deca, has submitted a cost of lei 2.57/minute for the interceptions and recording of phone calls and of lei 314/hour in case of operative surveillance.

Therefore, there are two elements:

- the cost of lei 2.57/minute in case of interceptions and recording of phone calls;

- 6 million Romanians that were eavesdropped on for 12 years, during the period 2005 – 2016.

Taking into account these two matters, but also the fact that each of the 6 million Romanians was eavesdropped on for at least 30 days, the conclusion is that the interception and recording of the phone calls of the 6 million Romanians in the 12 years has cost us, beware!, Euro 141 billion. The computation is simple.

- the cost of an interception minute is of lei 2.57, according to the DNA letter.

- computing lei 2.57 per minute, a cost of lei 154.2 per hour of interception results (lei 2.57 x 60 minutes), namely Euro 32.8 (computed for a rate of lei 4.7/Euro);

- furthermore, multiplying the interception hour of lei 154.2 by 24 hours, a cost of lei 3,700.8, i.e. Euro 787.4 per day of interception results (the interception hour of lei 154.2, meaning Euro 32.8 x 24 hours in a day);

- for 30 days, the period for which a warrant is issued, the cost of interceptions amounts to lei 111,024, i.e. Euro 23,622 (the interception day of lei 3,700.8, meaning Euro 786 x 30 days);

- considering that he 6 million Romanians intercepted during the period 2005 – 2016 were eavesdropped on for at least 30 days, an interception cost of over lei 666 billion results for the 12 years, i.e. more than Euro 141 billion (30 days of interceptions of lei 111,024 each, meaning Euro 23,622 x 6,000,000).

Last, but not least, here is the letter of DNA Brasov mentioning the cost per minute of interception:

“Concerning the documents related to the manner of determining the expenses made with carrying out the technical surveillance warrants, we mention that, according to the provisions of Art. 272 Criminal Procedure Code, the criminal prosecution body has performed an equitable and proportional assessment/estimate of the costs implied by the activities carried out in the case, including those for carrying out the technical surveillance warrants, considering the cost elements (for the minute of recording and the hour or operative/field surveillance) previously known and used in other cases, without the communication for this purpose of such data, items or documents by the Romanian Intelligence Service.

Therefore, concerning the computation manner of the amount of lei 246,505 representing expenses generated by the carrying out of the technical surveillance and national security warrants and by the performance of investigations, verifications or operative surveillance, we make the following clarifications:

- Concerning the technical surveillance and national security (interception and recording of phone calls) warrants, in this case, following the carrying out of the technical surveillance and national security warrants, a total intercepted and recorded audio traffic of 51,340.50 minutes resulted for the technical surveillance warrants and, respectively, 514.47 minutes for the national security warrants, which amounted to a total cost of lei 133270 (lei 133,268.28)

51,340.35 minutes x lei 2.57/minute = lei 131,945.29 (technical surveillance warrants)

514.47 minutes x lei 2.57/minute = lei 1322.99 (national safety warrants).

We mention that, from the total audio traffic intercepted and recorded, we enclosed to the case and submitted to the court of law the discussions that were described according to the provisions of Art. 142 – 143 Criminal Procedure Code, approximately 122 minutes obtained following the carrying out of the technical surveillance warrants and, respectively, 514.47 minutes obtained following the carrying out of the national security warrants. For the computation of the number of minutes of the recorded traffic, the playlist options of freeware media player software were used.

Concerning the investigation, verification and operative surveillance activities carried out in this case, we mention that, in this case, investigations, verifications and operative/field surveillance were performed, being necessary to confirm certain data concerning the actual residence, the often visited social circles, the place of employment, the contacts, the actual location, the activity carried out at a given time or during a certain timeframe and, possibly, the entourage of the investigated persons, which were valorized either by preparing reports recording the findings of these activities or only by transmitting data and information of interest necessary to perform certain procedural activities, which have represented a total cost of lei 113,235.

- 24 hours x lei 314/hour = lei 7536 (operative surveillance from 19.11.2015 valorized in the minutes from 04.12.2015);

- 96 hours (24 hours x 4 persons) x lei 314/hour = 30,144 (verifications, investigations and operative surveillance Truica Remus, Mateescu Lucian Claudiu, Marcovici Marius Andrei and Andronc [sic!] Dan Catalin performed in the proximity of carrying out the house searches and valorized by communicating/transmitting data and information of interest;

- lei 75,555 – represents the estimated cost of the other additional investigations and verifications which, even though were carried out for the purpose of documenting the investigated matters, did not have the expected results and, therefore, were not valorized or materialized in the drawing up of materials or transmission of data and information of interest.”

"THE BRASOV COURT OF APPEAL
Criminal Section
Case file no. 345/64/2016

Following your letter from 24.10.2018 submitted in case file number 345/64/2016, we inform you of the following:

1. Concerning the submission to the case file of the letters issued by the Brasov Territorial Office to the Romanian Intelligence Service in the case file 259/P/2015, we present you enclosed, in a declassified form, copies of the requested documents, described as follows:

Letter no. S 729/2015 issued on 10.11.2015, declassified on 29.10.2018 and reregistered under no. 259/P/2015 of 29.10.2018;
Letter no. S 747/2015 issued on 20.11.2015, declassified on 29.10.2018 and reregistered under no. 259/P/2015 of 29.10.2018;
Letter no. S 753/2015 issued on 20.11.2015, declassified on 29.10.2018 and reregistered under no. 259/P/2015 of 29.10.2018;
Letter no. S 761/2015 issued on 23.11.2015, declassified on 29.10.2018 and reregistered under no. 259/P/2015 of 29.10.2018;
Letter no. S 808/2015 issued on 21.12.2015, declassified on 29.10.2018 and reregistered under no. 259/P/2015 of 29.10.2018;
Letter no. 0099/14.05.2015 declassified based on the Report of the PICCJ – Classified Documents Division no. 2674/IX-2/2018 approved on 07.01.2019, reregistered under no. 18/P/2015 from 10.01.2019;
Letter no. 00121/05.06.2015 and its appendix, declassified based on the Report of the PICCJ – Classified Documents Division no. 2674/IX-2/2018 approved on 07.01.2019, reregistered under no. 18/P/2015 from 10.01.2019;
Letter no. 00122/07.11.2018 declassified based on the Report of the PICCJ – Classified Documents Division no. 2674/IX-2/2018 approved on 07.01.2019, reregistered under no. 18/P/2015 from 10.01.2019;
Letter no. 00143/18.06.2015 and its appendix, declassified based on the Report of the PICCJ – Classified Documents Division no. 2674/IX-2/2018 approved on 07.01.2019, reregistered under no. 18/P/2015 from 10.01.2019;
Letter no. 0028/05.07.2017 declassified based on the Report of the PICCJ – Classified Documents Division no. 2674/IX-2/2018 approved on 07.01.2019, reregistered under no. 18/P/2015 from 10.01.2019.

2. Concerning the documents related to the manner of determining the expenses made with carrying out the technical surveillance warrants, we mention that, according to the provisions of Art.  272 Criminal Procedure Code, the criminal prosecution body has performed an equitable and proportional assessment/estimate of the costs implied by the activities carried out in the case, including those for carrying out the technical surveillance warrants, considering the cost elements (for the minute of recording and the hour or operative/field surveillance) previously known and used in other cases, without the communication for this purpose of such data, items or documents by the Romanian Intelligence Service.

Therefore, concerning the computation manner of the amount of lei 246,505 representing expenses generated by the carrying out of the technical surveillance and national security warrants and by the performance of investigations, verifications or operative surveillance, we make the following clarifications:
- Concerning the technical surveillance and national security (interception and recording of phone calls) warrants, in this case, following the carrying out of the technical surveillance and national security warrants, a total intercepted and recorded audio traffic of 51,340.50 minutes resulted for the technical surveillance warrants and, respectively, 514.47 minutes for the national security warrants, which amounted to a total cost of lei 133,270 (lei 133,268.28)

51,340.35 minutes x lei 2.57/minute = lei 131,945.29 (technical surveillance warrants)
514.47 minutes x lei 2.57/minute = lei 1322.99 (national safety warrants).

We mention that, from the total audio traffic intercepted and recorded, we enclosed to the case and submitted to the court of law the discussions that were described according to the provisions of Art. 142 – 143 Criminal Procedure Code, approximately 122 minutes obtained following the carrying out of the technical surveillance warrants and, respectively, 514.47 minutes obtained following the carrying out of the national security warrants. For the computation of the number of minutes of the recorded traffic, the playlist options of freeware media player software were used.

- Concerning the investigation, verification and operative surveillance activities carried out in this case, we mention that, in this case, investigations, verifications and operative/field surveillance were performed, being necessary to confirm certain data concerning the actual residence, the often visited social circles, the place of employment, the contacts, the actual location, the activity carried out at a given time or during a certain timeframe and, possibly, the entourage of the investigated persons, which were valorized either by preparing reports recording the findings of these activities or only by transmitting data and information of interest necessary to perform certain procedural activities, which have represented a total cost of lei 113,235.

- 24 hours x lei 314/hour = lei 7536 (operative surveillance from 19.11.2015 valorized in the minutes from 04.12.2015);
- 96 hours (24 hours x 4 persons) x lei 314/hour = lei 30,144 (verifications, investigations and operative surveillance Truica Remus, Mateescu Lucian Claudiu, Marcovici Marius Andrei and Andronic Dan Catalin performed in the proximity of carrying out the house searches and valorized by communicating/transmitting data and information of interest;
- lei 75,555 – represents the estimated cost of the other additional investigations and verifications which, even though were carried out for the purpose of documenting the investigated matters, did not have the expected results and, therefore, were not valorized or materialized in the drawing up of materials or transmission of data and information of interest.

We mention that, from their total, only the report prepared on 04.12.2015 on the results of the technical surveillance on 19.11.2015 were enclosed to the case and submitted to the court of law.

PROSECUTOR, HEAD OF SERVICE
Cornel David – Deca
Round seal of the Public Ministry and illegible signature"

*Read here the romanian version of the article