Judges of the Bucharest Court of Appeal approved on Wednesday, February 5, the prosecutors' request for the preventive arrest of five defendants in the case targeting real estate developer Nordis. Among them are Laura Vicol, the former Social Democrat (PSD) head of the Legal Committee in the Chamber of Deputies, and her husband, Vladimir Ciorbă, the main shareholder of Nordis (opening picture). 

Three other individuals were placed under house arrest, while another three were placed under judicial control.

Six of the defendants have appealed the court's decision, according to News.ro.

The defendants are being investigated for offenses including organized crime, embezzlement with particularly severe consequences, money laundering, tax evasion, large-scale fraud, and knowingly misreporting taxes to unlawfully obtain refunds or compensations from the state budget, all committed continuously.

"Investigations so far, involving 72 individuals (40 individuals and 32 companies), reveal that since 2018, three of them initiated and structured a criminal group operating in a pyramid scheme. They developed real estate projects under various companies, collected funds from buyers, embezzled company assets, misled clients through sales contracts, falsified accounting records to evade taxes, and unlawfully obtained VAT refunds or state budget compensations, causing financial damage to companies, customers, and the state," DIICOT previously stated.

Dozens of searches were conducted in various locations in Romania and Monaco on Monday as part of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) investigation. Prosecutors seized over 50 computers and data storage devices, mobile phones, various sums of money in different currencies, official documents, and luxury goods such as watches, jewelry, and designer handbags.

According to the Romanian Police quoted by Biziday.ro, 201 properties (apartments and houses), five commercial spaces, 22 plots of land, 11 vehicles, company shares, and stocks have been seized, while 48 bank accounts belonging to individuals and legal entities have been frozen.

Nordis' wrongdoings mainly came to public attention after an investigation by independent journalists at Recorder showed that the developer deceived hundreds of clients who paid in advance for apartments they never received. The media investigation unveiled the political connections of the developer and, following an extensive research and based on several documents reviewed, found that Nordis allegedly sold the same apartment to multiple buyers under various instruments such as pre-contracts or contracts.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos / George Călin)