The Romanian Intelligence Service released Thursday a statement announcing that Lieutenant General Florian Coldea will be placed „at the disposal of the SRI Director”.
According to the release, SRI Director Eduard Hellvig decided to „set up of a special committee to investigate possible law infringement or violations of deontological rules.”
The SRI announcement follows the seventh video recording released by Sebastian Ghita, a former member of the Chamber of Deputies, a former member of the Parliamentary committee for the control of the Romanian Intelligence Service, now fled the country, included on the Europol most wanted list and with an arrest warrant in absentia issued against him.
Sebastian Ghita boasted in these recordings with a close relationship with the SRI deputy Florian Coldea and claimed that he did Florian Coldea certain services or acted in the past on behalf and in the interest of DNA’s chief, Laura Codruta Kovesi.
SRI’s press release:
“Following information made public concerning Mr. Lieutenant General Florian Coldea that have undergone preliminary assessments, the SRI Director, Mr. Eduard Hellvig, ordered in accordance with the procedures, the setting up of a special committee to check possible law infringement or violations of the professional ethics.
In this respect, pending the completion of investigations, Mr. Lieutenant General Florian Coldea is placed at the disposal of the SRI Director, according to the law and the duties of First Deputy of the Romanian Intelligence Service will be taken over by the SRI Director, Mr Eduard Hellvig. All the circumstances disclosed, as well as the documents made available by Lieutenant General Florian Coldea are examined.
SRI has developed internal mechanisms to investigate any indications of law or national legal framework infringements, based on a methodology and procedure validated over time. Internal specialized structures, existing under the authority of the institution’s director, take, whenever the circumstances so require, complex measures of checking the information on possible infringement of the law or the military orders and regulations and then take the appropriate measures.
Our institution considers the principle of legality is particularly important, which governs the entire activity of the Service, as a guarantee for respecting the human rights and the reputation of the institution’s personnel. We reaffirm our determination to maintain the professionalism standards existing at the foundation of the alliances of which SRI is part alongside partner services from well-established states and democracies.
We reiterate that the Romanian Intelligence Service carries out its missions in good faith, in the interest of national security and Romanian citizens.”
In the latest video recordings – the latter, the seventh being aired Wednesday night on Romania TV- Sebastian Ghita says he spent holidays abroad – in Seychelles, in 2010, in Italy, in Tuscany, in 2012, and at Disneyland Paris – with the SRI deputy Florian Coldea.
Florian Coldea official biography
Born in 1971 in Tarnova – Arad, Florian Coldea went to the Faculty of Psychosociology of the National Intelligence Academy in Bucharest, which he graduated in 1996.
He worked with the Inspectorate for Preventing and Combating Terrorism of the Romanian Intelligence Service, where he held several management positions. Between 1996-2005, he participated in a series of missions, actions and complex antiterrorist operations performed in cooperation with foreign partners of SRI.
During the kidnapping of the three Romanian journalists in Iraq (2005), his name was mentioned by the national press among those who led the operations for their recovery, along with the SIE General Adrian Isac.
On 27 July 2005, Florian Coldea was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and appointed by decree of the President of Romania to the position of First Deputy of the Director of the Romanian Intelligence Service (and legal substitute of the director) with the rank of state secretary, since 1 august 2005. He has been promoted to colonel on 24 March 2006.
From 20 July to 4 October 2006, he served as Interim Director of the Romanian Intelligence Service, following the resignation of Alexandru Radu Timofte from this position.
On 18 April 2008, President Traian Basescu promoted him to the rank of brigadier general (one-star).
