The mayor of the commune of Corbeanca (Ilfou district), Valeriu Antona, who was detained by the DNA on charges of bribery and money laundering, was released after magistrates rejected any preventive measure proposed by the prosecutor’s office.

This was announced by lawyer Adrian Koukoulis on Friday evening. “After 48 hours of torment and sleeplessness, the mayor of Corbeanque can return home. Any precautionary measure by the DNA prosecutor’s office was rejected,” the lawyer said, according to News.ro. He added that “this is another file invented by DNA.”

The Judge of Rights and Freedoms of the Bucharest Court rejected DNA’s proposal and decided that the mayor should be investigated in a state of freedom, without any restrictive measures, Agerpres also reports. The same decision was made in the case of the mayor’s nephew, who was also detained by DNA.

Valeriu Antona was arrested by DNA after he allegedly demanded and received more than 1.4 million euros from an individual for the return of a 45-hectare plot of land. He would also receive from other people seven hectares of forest, nine hectares of arable land, which he sold, and more than 475,000 euros.

• Read also: The arrested DNA of the mayor of Corbeanka is accused of receiving several million euros in bribes for the return of land / Unheard of debts to persons listed in the declaration of wealth

On Friday morning, DNA announced in a press release that Mayor Anton Valeria was arrested for the crimes of bribery (two counts, one of which is in the long form), money laundering and incitement to money laundering in the long form. The second person was detained in this case for committing a crime related to money laundering in an ongoing form.

The accusations that DNA brings to the mayor of Corbeanka

• “During 2011-2017, Anton Valeriu, as the mayor of Korbeanka commune and the president of the local commission for the establishment of land ownership rights, was considering a person’s request for the return of 45 hectares of land. plot of land located in Corbeanca, will be claimed and received from this, through intermediaries (one of them is another detained suspect), the amount of 1,418,581 eurosthe money that would have been given to him after receiving monetary compensation as a result of the approval of the ANRP file
• In order to hide the true origin of the money received as a bribe, on the initiative of Anton Valeriu, several notarized documents were drawn up, with the help of which the true recipient of the sum of money would be hidden.
• In a similar context, from September 2011 to July 2019, Anton Valeriu demanded the right holders to return half of the claimed rights to various plots of land in order to take the necessary steps to approve their requests.
• After settlement of claims in a similar way Anton Valeriu would come into possession of seven hectares of forest (later sold for a total of 1,554,695 euros), nine hectares of arable land (sold in 2019 for 450,000 euros) and an amount of 475,318 euros.”

In this case, the prosecutor’s office conducted searches on Thursday at several addresses, including the headquarters of the Kyazhna city hall and the mayor’s house, DNA clarified that it is about corruption crimes committed in 2011-2017.

Great personal loans

In the most recent declaration of wealth, submitted in June 2022, the mayor of Corbeanque wrote that he owed almost 1.4 million euros to a bank and to three individuals. All loans were granted during 2008-2009.

Thus, he entered in the property declaration a bank loan in the amount of 287,000 euros (contract in 2008, maturity date – 2029), as well as loans from individuals: 555,000 euros from Neagu Valentin, 336,000 euros from Buchumeanu Florin Marian, 185,000 euros from Tetuc Dumitru. All loans were granted during 2008-2009.

In the “Income” section, the mayor mentioned only the salary from the town hall – 87,500 lei per year and the salary of his wife, a sales agent in Corbeanca.

According to the latest property declaration, Anton Valeriu has several urban plots of more than 6,000 square meters in Corbeanca and Bufta and a house of 284 square meters in Corbeanca. He is also associated with 50% in SC DVS Frigos SRL.

Anton Valeriu (PMP) has been the mayor of Corbeanka commune since 2008. He became a member of the PMP after the party’s merger with the UNPR. According to PMP leader Eugen Tomac, Anton Valeriu has not been active in the party in recent years, although he is running for a new term as mayor of the commune of Corbeanque on behalf of the PMP in 2020.

PMP President Eugen Tomak told HotNews.ro that his party membership has been suspended in accordance with the statute. “Tomorrow, the National Executive Council will discuss the situation of Mayor Corbeanka, but according to the party statute, he is automatically removed from office at the time of his arrest,” Tomak said.