George Becali
| George Becali | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member of the European Parliament for Romania |
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In office 14 July 2009 – 18 December 2012 |
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| Succeeded by | Dan Diaconescu |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 25, 1958 Zagna, Vădeni, Brăila, Romania |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Political party |
New Generation – Christian Democrat Party (until 2012) National Liberal Party (2012-2013) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Pipera, Voluntari, Ilfov County |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur and politician |
| Religion | Orthodox Christian |
| Nickname(s) | Gigi |
George Becali (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈd͡ʒe̯ord͡ʒe beˈkali], commonly known in Romania as Gigi Becali; born 25 June 1958) is a controversial Romanian politician and businessman, mostly known for his ownership of the Steaua Bucureşti football club.
He was a Member of the European Parliament between June 2009 and December 2012 and a Member of the Romanian Parliament since December 2012 up until his conviction in May 2013.
He was born in an Aromanian family in Zagna, Vădeni, Brăila County, as his family had been deported to the Bărăgan by the Communist authorities because of their associations with the pre-World War II fascist Iron Guard.
During childhood and adolescence, Becali was a supporter of the Steaua Bucharest football club. His cousins Victor Becali and Ioan Becali are football agents involved in Romanian football mainly for Dinamo Bucharest. In 1994, he married Luminiţa, 11 years younger than him; they have three daughters: Teodora (b. 1995), Alexandra (b. 1996) and Cristina (b. 2001).
Becali became a millionaire through an exchange of land with the Romanian Army, dubbed by the Romanian press as suspicious, as the Army did not need the land it received and the land he received was worth much more.
The deal consisted in Becali giving the army a 21.5 ha plot in Ştefăneştii de Jos (about 15 km from Bucharest) in exchange for a 20.9 ha plot in Băneasa-Pipera, in Northern Bucharest. As the real estate prices skyrocketed in the capital, he sold the land to some companies which built residential areas.
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Wikipedia