Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan signed the documents for the demolition of Cathedral Plaza, a 19-storey office building developed by the Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer in the central part of Romania's capital city.

In a Facebook post, Dan explained that the cost of demolition will be initially undertaken by the municipality and later recovered from the building’s owner.

The court decided for the first time in 2011 that the building was erected illegally, and the sentence became final in January 2013.

The City Hall of District 1 issued the building permit in 2006, despite protests from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, which argued that the works would affect nearby St. Joseph's Cathedral.

Finally, the Archdiocese sued the project company Millennium Building Development and won in court.

In 2012, Eyal Ofer sold Millennium Building Development to the Greek Ioannis Papalekas, one of the largest office owners in Bucharest at the time, Ziarul Financiar explained. The deal was estimated at EUR 50 mln. The building remained empty until now.

(Photo: Albertophotography | Dreamstime.com)

andrei@romania-insider.com