Cristian Boureanu

Cristian Alexandru Boureanu (born December 15, 1972) is a Romanian businessman and politician. A member of the Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L), he has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Argeş County since 2004.

He and his first wife Irina had a daughter before divorcing in 2003. In 2007, he married Valentina Pelinel, a former model.^[1][2][3]

Biography

He was born in Lusaka, Zambia, where his parents were temporarily working as geological engineers,^[4] and in 1991 completed secondary studies at the Mathematics-Physics High School in Bucharest. From 1991 to 1996, he attended the International Economic Relations Faculty of the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies. He holds a 2003 degree from the Carol I National Defence University, and in 2004 received a master's degree in governance and institutional development from the National School of Administration and Political Science of Bucharest. From April 1999 to December 2000, he worked as an adviser at the Finance Ministry. From 2000 to 2001, he was an adviser to the president of the Chamber of Deputies' economic committee. He is a private investor in companies active in various sectors, such as commerce, construction and economic consultancy.^[5] In early 2008, his property holdings were worth an estimated €13.5 million, in addition to valuables and bank accounts.^[4]

Boureanu entered politics in 1995, when he joined the National Liberal Party (PNL). From May 1998 to April 2000, he was secretary general of the National Liberal Youth, serving as the organisation's president from that time until October 2002. From January 2001 to August 2002, he served on the PNL's permanent central bureau; he then advanced to the executive central bureau, where he remained until February 2005. That month, he returned to the permanent central bureau, serving until December. At that point, he was suspended from the PNL:^[5] the party leadership, including Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, viewed as unacceptable Boureanu's accusations that certain of his colleagues had conducted negotiations with the opposition Social Democratic Party.^[6] He remained suspended until September 2006, when he and fellow dissident member Raluca Turcan were ejected entirely, having been warned in July to cease making public statements against party decisions and having continued to do so.^[7] He then joined the Liberal Democratic Party, serving as its vice president for political and international relations from March 2007 to February 2008, when the party merged with the Democratic Party to form the Democratic Liberal Party. Within the PD-L, he serves as a vice president and as president of its Argeş County chapter.^[5] Meanwhile, he was first elected to the Chamber in 2004, serving on the industry and services committee, including as its vice president until September 2006.^[8] Re-elected in 2008,^[9] where he serves as vice president on the same committee, and is part of the Romanian Parliament's delegation to the Assembly of the Western European Union.^[10]

Aside from his public feud with the PNL leadership, which involved acid criticism of Tăriceanu (whom he once called a "corrupt prime minister" and a "toxic product for the Romanian people"),^[11] Boureanu has been involved in other controversies as well. In May 2008, he was the subject of a criminal investigation for "abuse of office against the public interest" by the National Anticorruption Directorate for his role in signing a contract in 2000 between Loteria Română and a Greek firm that caused the former to incur losses of over €120 million.^[12] In summer 2009, he drew attention for his attempts to end the work of the parliamentary committee investigating abuses by Youth and Sport Minister and PD-L colleague Monica Iacob Ridzi. His verbal interventions were also noted, with one Social Democrat claiming he had insulted seven or eight of the committee's members;^[13][14] at one point, he addressed chairwoman Alina Gorghiu as "missie" and made mention of her "lovers".^[15]

Notes

1. ^ (Romanian) Loredana Toma, "Oferte mari pentru Valentina Pelinel" ("Big Offers for Valentina Pelinel"), Evenimentul Zilei, 6 October 2009; accessed November 13, 2009
2. ^ (Romanian) Corina Stoica and Gabriela Dumba, "Valentina Pelinel a defilat în calitate de doamna Boureanu" ("Valentina Pelinel Walks as Mrs. Boureanu"), Gardianul, 23 June 2007; accessed November 13, 2009
3. ^ (Romanian) Diana Marcu, Raluca Dumitriu and Loredana Voiculescu, "Cum a ajuns Olteanu în stradă. Politicieni şi oameni de afaceri îngroaşă lista românească a partajelor de milioane" ("How Olteanu Got to Be on the Streets. Politicians and Businessmen Add to the List of Romanian Divorces Costing Millions"), Gândul, 15 June 2009; accessed November 13, 2009
4. ^ ^{a b} (Romanian) Răzvan Amariei, "Boureanu, cel mai tânăr milionar din politică" ("Boureanu, the Youngest Millionaire in Politics"), Capital, 6 February 2008; accessed November 13, 2009
5. ^ ^{a b c} (Romanian) Profile at the Romanian Chamber of Deputies site; accessed November 13, 2009
6. ^ (Romanian) Claudia Cristofan, "Boureanu, suspendat din PNL. Cotroceniul pierde un 'agent'" ("Boureanu, Suspended from the PNL. Cotroceni Loses an 'Agent'"), Gardianul, 10 December 2005; accessed November 16, 2009
7. ^ (Romanian) "Liberalii au mai pierdut doi parlamentari" ("The Liberals Have Lost Two More Parliamentarians"), Cronica Română, 2 October 2006; accessed November 16, 2009
8. ^ (Romanian) 2004-2008 Profile at the Romanian Chamber of Deputies site; accessed November 13, 2009
9. ^ (Romanian) Election results, alegeri.tv; accessed November 13, 2009
10. ^ (Romanian) 2008- Profile at the Romanian Chamber of Deputies site; accessed November 13, 2009
11. ^ (Romanian) "'Tăriceanu, un prim-ministru corupt'" ("'Tăriceanu, a Corrupt Prime Minister'"), Evenimentul Zilei, 31 March 2007; accessed November 16, 2009
12. ^ (Romanian) George Lăcătuş, "'Nicolăescu şi Boureanu: duşmani politici, aliaţi în faţa procurorilor DNA'" ("'Nicolăescu and Boureanu: Political Enemies, Allies before DNA Prosecutors'"), Cotidianul, 6 May 2008; accessed November 16, 2009
13. ^ (Romanian) "Boureanu invocă verificările DNA în cazul Ridzi pentru încetarea activităţii comisiei parlamentare de anchetă" ("Boureanu Invokes DNA Verifications in Ridzi Case for Ending Activity of Parliamentary Enquiry Committee"), Ziua, 6 July 2009; accessed November 16, 2009
14. ^ (Romanian) "Comisia parlamentară 'Ridzi' s-a transformat în comisia insultelor lui Boureanu" ("Ridzi Parliamentary Committee Becomes Committee of Boureanu's Insults"), Ziua, 3 July 2009; accessed November 16, 2009
15. ^ (Romanian) Lucian Gheorghiu, "Boureanu o ameninţă pe Alina Gorghiu că îi deconspiră amanţii" ("Boureanu Threatens Alina Gorghiu He Will Reveal Her Lovers"), Cotidianul, 1 July 2009; accessed November 16, 2009

External links

• (Romanian) Official site

Persondata
Name	Boureanu, Cristian
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Date of birth	December 15, 1972
Place of birth
Date of death
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