Relu Fenechiu
Encyclopedia
Relu Fenechiu is a Romania
n businessman and politician. A member of the National Liberal Party
(PNL), he has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
for Iaşi County
since 2004.
, Bacău County
, attending high school in Comăneşti
. In 1990, he graduated from the Mechanics Faculty of the Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iaşi
, specialising in the technology of building motor vehicles. He holds a 2006 degree from the Carol I National Defence University
and a 2007 master's degree in Marketing from the Romanian-American University
. In 2008, he took master's courses in Economics and Environmental Management at the Ecological University of Bucharest. From 1990 to 2004, he directed Fene Grup S.A., a Iaşi
-based group of construction firms.
Fenechiu has been a member of the Iaşi PNL chapter since 1996, serving as its vice president from 1998 to 2000. He was vice president of the PNL's Iaşi County chapter from 2001 to 2004, and has been its president since then. In 2001, he joined the party's delegation of national representatives, and became president of its committee on regional policy, land management and transport in 2002. Since 2007, he has sat on the PNL's central political bureau, responsible for its specialty committees. Fenechiu's first elected position was as a Iaşi County councillor, from 2000 to 2004. In 2004, he was elected
to the Chamber, being re-elected in 2008
. During his first parliamentary term, he was deputy leader of the PNL group from December 2004 to September 2005, followed by a stint as president of the committee on public administration, land management and ecological balance. Additionally, from May 2007, he was on the joint committee for European affairs. In 2009, he rejoined the public administration committee, having been on the culture, arts and mass media committee from the start of his second term. Since that term began, he has been president of the information technology and communications committee. During both terms, he has been part of the Romanian Parliament's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
.
Fenechiu has been referred to as a "local baron", and wields some influence within his party. For instance, he was reportedly behind the appointment of Cristian Adomniţei
, Tudor Chiuariu
and Cristian David
to Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu
's second cabinet in 2007. His wealth has also drawn notice: in 2008, his holdings included six pieces of land, five houses, four cars, jewellery worth €
80,000 and some €300,000 in bank accounts—with assets at around €7 million, he was nearly among the Capital Top 300 wealthiest men in Romania
that year. Some of his dealings have raised questions, as exemplified by the allegations made against him in 2008 by prosecutors from the National Anticorruption Directorate
, who charged that his firms sold transformers
in an advanced state of degradation to an electrical company at prices for brand-new ones, turning a €2 million profit for him. While the PNL was in office from 2004 to 2008, there was suspicion that he benefited from preferential state contracts, but he downplayed the size of such dealings when asked about the matter. He is a strong critic of President
Traian Băsescu
, for instance attacking his association with FC Steaua Bucureşti owner Gigi Becali
in 2006, and three years later dismissing the proposed cabinet of Lucian Croitoru
as a mere ploy for Băsescu's re-election campaign
.
He and his ex-wife Liliana, a former model to whom he was married from 1993 to February 2006, have a son. The following October, he married folk music singer Mariana Ivan, of Abrud
, at a castle in Austria
.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n businessman and politician. A member of the National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (Romania)
The National Liberal Party , abbreviated to PNL, is a centre-right liberal party in Romania. It is the third-largest party in the Romanian Parliament, with 53 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 22 in the Senate: behind the centre-right Democratic Liberal Party and the centre-left Social...
(PNL), he has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Romania
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house in Romania's bicameral parliament. It has 315 seats, to which deputies are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms...
for Iaşi County
Iasi County
Iași is a county of Romania, in Moldavia, with the administrative seat at Iași.-Demographics:As of 1 July 2007, Iași County had a population of 825,100, making it the second most populous county in Romania after Bucharest, with a population density of 150/km².*Romanians - 98.1%*Roma -...
since 2004.
Biography
He was born in DărmăneştiDarmanesti
Dărmăneşti is a town in the eastern Romania, in Bacău County, in the valleys of the Trotuş and Uz rivers. The town is named after one of its leaders, "Dărman" and the earliest reference to the town is from the 16th century. As of 2002, it has a population of 14,200.The town administers five...
, Bacău County
Bacau County
Bacău is a county of Romania, in Moldavia, with its capital city at Bacău. It has one commune, Ghimeş-Făget, in Transylvania.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 706,623 and the population density was 113/km²....
, attending high school in Comăneşti
Comanesti
Comăneşti is a town in Bacău County, Romania, with a population of 26,230. It is situated on the Trotuş River, which flows between the Ciuc and the Tarcău mountains .The town administers two villages, Podei and Vermeşti.-History:...
. In 1990, he graduated from the Mechanics Faculty of the Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iaşi
Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi
The Gheorghe Asachi Technical University is a public university located in Iaşi, Romania. It has the oldest tradition in Romania in engineering education and is second ranked among the technical institutions of higher education, and the fifth among all universities in Romania, in the national...
, specialising in the technology of building motor vehicles. He holds a 2006 degree from the Carol I National Defence University
Carol I National Defence University
The Carol I National Defence University , located in Bucharest, Romania, was established in 1889. It seeks to train military and civilian experts in security and national defence, and undertakes scientific studies related to these matters when requested by relevant state authorities.-External links:*...
and a 2007 master's degree in Marketing from the Romanian-American University
Romanian-American University
The Romanian-American University is a private university in Bucharest, Romania, which offers courses and degrees in English. It was founded by Ion Smedescu....
. In 2008, he took master's courses in Economics and Environmental Management at the Ecological University of Bucharest. From 1990 to 2004, he directed Fene Grup S.A., a Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
-based group of construction firms.
Fenechiu has been a member of the Iaşi PNL chapter since 1996, serving as its vice president from 1998 to 2000. He was vice president of the PNL's Iaşi County chapter from 2001 to 2004, and has been its president since then. In 2001, he joined the party's delegation of national representatives, and became president of its committee on regional policy, land management and transport in 2002. Since 2007, he has sat on the PNL's central political bureau, responsible for its specialty committees. Fenechiu's first elected position was as a Iaşi County councillor, from 2000 to 2004. In 2004, he was elected
Romanian legislative election, 2004
The Romanian legislative election of 2004 was held on 28 November 2004. 137 seats in the Senate of Romania and 314 seats in the Chamber of Deputies were up for election.The 2004 legislative election was held simultaneously with the presidential election...
to the Chamber, being re-elected in 2008
Romanian legislative election, 2004
The Romanian legislative election of 2004 was held on 28 November 2004. 137 seats in the Senate of Romania and 314 seats in the Chamber of Deputies were up for election.The 2004 legislative election was held simultaneously with the presidential election...
. During his first parliamentary term, he was deputy leader of the PNL group from December 2004 to September 2005, followed by a stint as president of the committee on public administration, land management and ecological balance. Additionally, from May 2007, he was on the joint committee for European affairs. In 2009, he rejoined the public administration committee, having been on the culture, arts and mass media committee from the start of his second term. Since that term began, he has been president of the information technology and communications committee. During both terms, he has been part of the Romanian Parliament's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe , which held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, can be considered the oldest international parliamentary assembly with a pluralistic composition of democratically elected members of parliament established on the basis of an...
.
Fenechiu has been referred to as a "local baron", and wields some influence within his party. For instance, he was reportedly behind the appointment of Cristian Adomniţei
Cristian Adomniţei
Cristian Mihai Adomniţei is a Romanian engineer and politician. A member of the National Liberal Party , he has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Iaşi County since 2004...
, Tudor Chiuariu
Tudor Chiuariu
Tudor-Alexandru Chiuariu is a Romanian lawyer and politician. A member of the National Liberal Party , he served as Justice Minister in the Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu cabinet from April to December 2007, and has represented Bacău County in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies since December 2008...
and Cristian David
Cristian David
Cristian David is a Romanian politician. A member of the National Liberal Party , he has been a member of the Romanian Senate for Vaslui County since 2004...
to Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu
Calin Popescu-Tariceanu
Călin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tăriceanu is a Romanian politician. He was the Prime Minister of Romania between 29 December 2004 and 22 December 2008...
's second cabinet in 2007. His wealth has also drawn notice: in 2008, his holdings included six pieces of land, five houses, four cars, jewellery worth €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
80,000 and some €300,000 in bank accounts—with assets at around €7 million, he was nearly among the Capital Top 300 wealthiest men in Romania
Capital Top 300 wealthiest men in Romania
This is a list of Romania's 300 richest people for the year 2006....
that year. Some of his dealings have raised questions, as exemplified by the allegations made against him in 2008 by prosecutors from the National Anticorruption Directorate
National Anticorruption Directorate
National Anticorruption Directorate , formerly National Anticorruption Prosecution Office , is the Romanian agency tasked with preventing, investigating and prosecuting corruption-related offenses that caused a material damage higher than €200,000 or whose value of the involved amounts or goods is...
, who charged that his firms sold transformers
Transformers
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
in an advanced state of degradation to an electrical company at prices for brand-new ones, turning a €2 million profit for him. While the PNL was in office from 2004 to 2008, there was suspicion that he benefited from preferential state contracts, but he downplayed the size of such dealings when asked about the matter. He is a strong critic of President
President of Romania
The President of Romania is the head of state of Romania. The President is directly elected by a two-round system for a five-year term . An individual may serve two terms...
Traian Băsescu
Traian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
, for instance attacking his association with FC Steaua Bucureşti owner Gigi Becali
Gigi Becali
George Becali is a controversial Romanian politician and businessman, mostly known for his involvement in the Steaua Bucureşti football club.He has been a Member of the European Parliament since June 2009.-Biography:...
in 2006, and three years later dismissing the proposed cabinet of Lucian Croitoru
Lucian Croitoru
Lucian Croitoru is a Romanian economist. On October 15, 2009, following the defeat of Emil Boc's government through a motion of no confidence, President Traian Băsescu nominated Croitoru to be Prime Minister of Romania...
as a mere ploy for Băsescu's re-election campaign
Romanian presidential election, 2009
The first round of 2009 Romanian presidential elections was held in Romania on 22 November and a run-off round between Traian Băsescu and Mircea Geoană was held on 6 December 2009. Although most exit polls favored Geoană in the runoff, the authorities declared Băsescu the narrow victor with 50.33%...
.
He and his ex-wife Liliana, a former model to whom he was married from 1993 to February 2006, have a son. The following October, he married folk music singer Mariana Ivan, of Abrud
Abrud
Abrud is a town in the north-western part of Alba County, Transylvania, Romania, located on the river Abrud. It administers three villages: Abrud-Sat, Gura Cornei and Soharu.-Population:...
, at a castle in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.