Romania’s Ex-President May Use Yard For Free

"The former president of Romania is entitled to certain facilities, such as a home and offices. Since he already owns a home, but the land that comes with it is not his, he submitted an application to be exempted from paying rent for that land. We have approved his application and the contract is to be signed,” government secretary general Ilie Bolojan told MEDIAFAX.

 

Asked whether Iliescu alone would be exempted from rent, while the former president shares the house with other people, Bolojan said yes.

 

"As he lives on the ground floor, we consider he is the beneficiary of the yard. The neighbors will be allowed to go through the yard, because they are former aides of his, from what I have understood. I think he has a normal relationship with his neighbors," Bolojan said.

 

The government decided in February that RA-APPS up by up to ten times, starting March, the rents for homes it administrates. Rents for such homes and lands thus range between RON275 and RON5,697, depending on surface, and even so, prices are much lower than on the free real estate market.

 

Iliescu was notified by the state protocol authority he has to pay a monthly rent of EUR1,000 for his yard, tenfold his current rent, daily "Cotidianul" reported. Although he owns since 1996 the home he lives in, the social democrat doesn’t own the land around the place.