The mayor of Otopeni in Ilfov County, Konstantin Silviu Gheorghe, was detained by DNA for abuse of office. Prosecutors accuse him of accepting and illegally paying almost 36 million lei to the firm of two businessmen for work they did not perform. Silviu Constantin Gheorghe (PNL), one of Romania’s longest-serving mayors, served for 26 years.

DNA announced on Wednesday that the following were arrested:

• Gheorghe Constantin Silviu, Mayor of the city of Otopeni, County of Ilfov Otopeni and Chief Credit Officer, for abuse of official position, which caused particularly serious consequences, in a long form,
• Vlad Kostyantyn, at the time of the act, the executive director of the Otopeni City Hall and the person appointed to issue a preventive financial control visa, for abuse of office, which caused particularly serious consequences, in a continuous manner.

The following are also criminally liable:

• Štefan Bohdan Ionel, at the time of the act, the inspector of the Department of Investments and State Acquisitions of the City Hall of Otopeni, for complicity in abuse of official position.
• Four natural persons (the manager of the construction site and three entrepreneurs) for aiding in the abuse of official position, which caused particularly serious consequences, in an ongoing form.

Charges brought by the prosecutor’s office:

“During 2011-2017, in the context of the contract for the design and execution of works for the investment objective “Basic infrastructure in the city of Otopeni” (I phase of works – Ferme District), concluded between the Otopeni City Hall and a commercial company managed by two businessmen who are under investigation in this case, the city councilor Gheorghe Constantin Silviu and the executive director Vlad Constantin allegedly violated their obligations under primary legislation and illegally accepted and paid a total of 35,916,006 lei, of which:

• 25,421,080 lei, which initially represented unjustified costs for materials that the performer did not actually purchase. Later, in order to at least somehow justify the illegal payments, an act of performance of works would be drawn up (organization of the object, although at that stage such works were not foreseen) with an identical cost, with the help of which only the appearance of compensation was created between the “reverse” cost of the “purchase of materials” , 25,421,080 lei, with a similar cost of some organizational works on the site, which were not actually carried out.
• 10,494,926 lei represent financing costs related to the aforementioned costs.

In their actions, Gheorghe Constantin Silviu and Vlad Constantin would have used the help of other persons who are being investigated in this case, who would have either drawn up or signed various documents (additional documents, centralization of works, estimates with the status of work regarding the organization of the construction site, etc.), or various documents (invoices, price proposals, etc.) were provided to officials to justify making illegal payments.”

On Thursday, Gheorghe Constantin Silviu and Vlad Constantin are due to be brought to a Bucharest court with a proposal for preventive arrest for 30 days.