Finance Minister Marcel Bolos said on Monday that illicit economic activities are not done with “velvet gloves,” when asked what he thinks about the fact that Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu does not agree with the militarisation of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF).

“Illicit economic activities are not done with velvet gloves. That should be clear to everyone. When an asset is seized, when other, let’s say, narcotics or other things are discovered during these seizures and then… The prime minister, so that we don’t have this discussion that we put a gun for the payment of taxes and duties, has come up with this solution, that support for such situations should come from the gendarmes and the police. I wanted to explain that it was not a measure taken or a measure that was discussed, just like that, overnight. It was for these special situations that we have. Think of it as working with illicit goods and very large amounts of money. When you entrust someone with that kind of money or you have to take someone to the prosecutor… We have countless situations where fraud inspectors are faced with such situations. But the solution with the support of the gendarmes and the police leads to the same result and in order not to have these debates in the public space we decided that a peaceful solution is better,” said Bolos at the Palace of Parliament.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said last week that no ANAF employee would carry a gun.