Valeriu Gheorghe, a Romanian opposition Liberal Party deputy, last week unmasked the profiteers in parliament, pointing a finger not only at Romania's Mammon worshippers, who allegedly buy up the condemned wheat of the Ukraine and Moldova, but also at certain government officials.
He also revealed the modus operendi of the scam. He told parliament: 'Romania is a prime importer of Ukrainian and Moldovan grain and the two countries also use Romania for the transit of their wheat shipments to their traditional Arab markets. In the course of the transit, Ukrainian and Moldovan wheat gets relabelled 'Romanian wheat' and is then exported to foreign markets.
In other words, radioactive wheat bought at bargain prices is being sold at full market price by Romanian entrepreneurs to unsuspecting foreign consumers as Bucharest officials avert their eyes.
Although the public-spirited deputy did not touch on the moral dimensions of the trade in condemned wheat, he posed the question: "Is there now, because of it, any possibility that consumers are eating radioactive bread?" And he justified his question by quoting from a formal statement issued by the Association of Romanian Cereal Wholesalers confirming that: "In the financial years 2001 and 2002, Romania imported considerable quantities of radioactive wheat from the Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova."
He also revealed the modus operendi of the scam. He told parliament: 'Romania is a prime importer of Ukrainian and Moldovan grain and the two countries also use Romania for the transit of their wheat shipments to their traditional Arab markets. In the course of the transit, Ukrainian and Moldovan wheat gets relabelled 'Romanian wheat' and is then exported to foreign markets.
In other words, radioactive wheat bought at bargain prices is being sold at full market price by Romanian entrepreneurs to unsuspecting foreign consumers as Bucharest officials avert their eyes.
Although the public-spirited deputy did not touch on the moral dimensions of the trade in condemned wheat, he posed the question: "Is there now, because of it, any possibility that consumers are eating radioactive bread?" And he justified his question by quoting from a formal statement issued by the Association of Romanian Cereal Wholesalers confirming that: "In the financial years 2001 and 2002, Romania imported considerable quantities of radioactive wheat from the Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova."