Aurel Dobre, Quaestor of the Romanian Police, Director of the Economic Crime Investigation Department: “There is a slight downward trend in economic crime in the field of gambling” 3g5h55

Mr. Aurel Dobre, Quaestor of the Romanian Police, Director of the Economic Crime Investigation Department (DICE) had the pleasure to answer some questions about the activity of the institution he leads. We invite you to learn important information about the main successes of the activity of this directorate of the Romanian Police regarding the effective protection of intellectual property, the fight against cigarette smuggling, the development of the capacity to carry out financial investigations, as well as the progress made in the continuation of the steps for the digitization of information flows within the institution. As far as gambling is concerned, a slight downward trend in economic crime has been observed, which is likely to outline a cleaner and more responsible profile of the economic operators involved. f4o21

Aurel Dobre, Quaestor of the Romanian Police, Director of the Economic Crime Investigation Department (DICE) 4r674z

Please tell us briefly what the Economic Crime Investigation Department (DICE) does within the Romanian Police?

The Economic Crime Investigation Police is the specialized structure of the Romanian Police that acts through specific means of work to prevent and combat economic and financial crimes and other violations of the law that affect the economic climate in Romania.

The economic crime investigation structures are part of the Judicial Police and their main activity is the identification of persons who violate the law and their investigation of compliance with the provisions of the criminal procedure, on the lines of work within their competence.

The Economic Crime Investigation Police is organized and operates both at headquarters level, as a directorate within the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police, and territorially, as services within the county police inspectorates and the General Directorate of Police of the Municipality of Bucharest, where there is a service in the central office of the General Directorate and a service in each sector police station.

What were the main achievements of DICE’s work in 2022?

From an institutional perspective, the main achievements have been in meeting important objectives related to some of the priorities for the reporting period.

In this context, we can mention the effective protection of intellectual property, which is internationally recognized, for the first time in over 25 years Romania being recognized as a fully reliable partner for the United States of America in of intellectual property protection. Thus, the constant actions and organizational measures taken at the level of the Romanian Police and the other institutions with attributions in the field resulted in Romania’s removal from the “Watch List” of the United States Trade Representative.

Also, in the area of combating cigarette smuggling, existing data show that the actions taken recently to combat this type of crime have contributed to a significant decrease in the level of the black market for cigarettes, which is confirmed by the latest Novel studies, according to which, in 2022, it recorded its lowest level since the beginning of the study (2008), recording an annual average of 7.1% in 2022, compared to 8.7% in 2021.

Another area where progress has been made is in developing the capacity to carry out financial investigations, both by providing specialised resources and by extending the use of this mode of investigation in criminal cases involving economic crime, with the aim of identifying assets and recovering the damage caused, including through the application of extended confiscation.

On the other hand, we can also consider successful the progress made in the continuation of the steps for the digitization of information flows, as well as the expert contributions provided to the elaboration of the legislative framework applicable to the structure’s sphere of competence.

Generally speaking, what are DICE’s main goals in 2023?

In order to streamline the detection and investigation of economic and financial crimes, in 2023, the economic crime investigation police structures will focus on the following priorities, depending on the specificities of each territorial unit:

►Preventing and combating large-scale illegal economic activities, in particular by:

-investigating tax evasion and fraud, including preventing and combating cross-border economic crime and improving cooperation in this field;

-investigating smuggling and illegal trade in highly-excised products, especially cigarettes and tobacco products;

-investigating infringements of intellectual property rights, in particular for the dismantling of organized criminal networks/groups for the import, distribution and sale of counterfeit goods and online piracy;

-investigating public procurement fraud and corruption, with a focus on health, public istration and education;

-investigating all forms of economic and financial crime in the field of environmental protection (forestry, energy resources, mineral resources, recyclable materials).

►Increasing the level of insurance/recovery of damages in economic and financial crime cases, including by developing financial investigations to identify, seize and confiscate the proceeds of crime and investigating money laundering from economic and financial crime;

►Identifying and dismantling criminal groups carrying out large-scale illegal economic activities (tax evasion, money laundering, smuggling of excisable products, counterfeiting).

In of gaming, what have been DICE’s main concerns in recent years?

In recent years, the activities carried out in the field of gambling have focused on two main areas, namely the approval of staff of gambling operators and the detection and investigation of criminal offences.

Thus, the economic crime investigation structures of the Romanian Police issue notices to the legal representatives, associates and shareholders of economic operators in the field of gambling, in accordance with the provisions of Government Emergency Ordinance no. 77/2009 on the organization and operation of gambling and Government Decision no. 111 of 24.02.2016 for the approval of the methodological norms for the implementation of the provisions of GEO 77/2009. The notices for the organization of remote gambling are issued exclusively by the Economic Crime Investigation Department, and the notices for the organization of traditional gambling are issued by the Economic Crime Investigation Services of the territorial police units, according to their competences.

With regard to the detection and investigation of offences committed in this area, the economic crime investigation structures are concerned both with the specific criminal offences provided for in the basic regulatory act, namely Government Emergency Ordinance No 77/2009, such as the carrying out of any gambling activity without a license or authorization, and with other economic offences that may be committed in this area, such as tax evasion, embezzlement, fraudulent management and money laundering.

Can we say that the gambling industry in our country has reached maturity and, compared to other economic sectors, it shows certain ability of economic agents in of compliance with the laws in force? Or is there more work to be done?

From the perspective of the structure they manage, the gambling sector represents an important economic activity, which generates considerable revenues to the general consolidated budget, both through the payment of taxes and duties specific to gambling, as well as through the generation of indirect fiscal obligations, such as taxes and contributions related to employment. The development of this field in recent years has been favored by the stability of the institutional and regulatory framework, which has led to the specialization of staff and the streamlining of activities.

Unfortunately, however, like any economic sector, the gambling sector is not free of dangers and temptations, which sometimes lead to or create a favourable framework for committing illegalities, including criminal ones. Thus, in 2022, investigations were carried out in 572 (605 in 2021) criminal cases concerning gambling offences, and proposals for indictment were made in 45 (65 in 2021) of the 203 (227 in 2021) cases solved, showing a slight downward trend in economic crime in the field of gambling, which is likely to outline a cleaner and more responsible profile of the economic operators involved.

What would be your recommendations to companies operating in the gambling industry in Romania in order to have a fair economic climate and in compliance with current legislative regulations?

I believe that the most important resource in an entity is the human resource and that investments made to develop and improve staff will be reflected positively in all the results obtained. Therefore, I would recommend gambling operators to pay particular attention to the selection and recruitment of staff and to their thorough training, both from a theoretical and practical point of view, so that, in addition to achieving economic performance, they ensure a high degree of compliance with the relevant regulations and prevent serious criminal violations of the law.

I also believe that close cooperation with law enforcement agencies, including through preventive activities, can help strengthen this economic sector.