Holzindustrie Schweighofer was proved to have received wood from illegal sources, in an investigation that started in May 2015, according to Romanian media reports.
The Pitesti Court of Appeal in Romania has recently given the final sentences in a part of the file regarding the illegal restitution of the Puru, Galbenu and Petrimanu mountain forests in Vâlcea County. The decision was to convict 4 members who sold wood from illegally returned forests to the Austrian company Holzindustrie Schweighofer , as reported by The Romania Journal.
Mircea Basarabă, former mandatory of the company Holzindustrie Schweighofer, George Deaconeasa, former contractual partner of the firm, Mihai Dan Petrulian and Constantin Păduraru were convicted to a total sentence of 23 years and 6 months in prison, together with a EUR 4 million interest payment.
According Agent Green, the ultimate beneficiary of these deeds was Cascade Empire, a company which bought the returned mountains on false documents. However, the DNA files – Territorial Service of Pitesti, reads there is evidence demonstrating that the representatives of Gerald Schweighofer’s company had regular contacts with the defendants, setting the selling price of forest land 6 months before the restitution.
In a contract dated November 30, 2004, Holzindustrie Schweighofer bought 22,000 cubic meters of timber from Voineasa, Valcea County from Soficarm SRL Călimăneşti company where George Deaconeasa was associate and administrator.
Holzindustrie Schweighofer is the largest processor of wood in Romania and in recent years has been at the core of several scandals involving illegal procurement of timber. Each time, the company officials have dismissed the allegations.
