Teodor Atanasiu

Who is Teodor Atanasiu?

Teodor Atanasiu is a Romanian engineer and politician. A member of the National Liberal Party, he was Minister of National Defence in the Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu cabinet from December 2004 to October 2006. He has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Alba County since 2008.

He and his first wife had one daughter before divorcing in 2005 after twenty years of marriage. Soon afterward, he married Laura Bișboacă, a 25-year-old employee of the Alba County Council whom Atanasiu brought to Bucharest as an adviser at the Defence Ministry after being named to head that institution. The two married shortly thereafter, and have one daughter. Atanasiu later drew controversy for having Bișboacă's brother hired at the Agriculture Ministry and at the Authority for State Assets Recovery once Atanasiu was in charge there; as well as giving out jobs to his best man and business partner and to a business partner of his wife's.