Romanian investigators uncover exploitation network at centers for the disabled and vulnerable
Romanian investigators and police recently announced that 24 people have been detained and two others have been placed under judicial control following searches at centers for vulnerable individuals and people with disabilities, in a case involving exploitation.
Dozens of searches were conducted on Tuesday, July 4, in Bucharest and the nearby counties of Ilfov, Ialomița, Călărași, Constanța, Olt, and Argeș.
Nearly 100 individuals were taken by the authorities following the searches, from three buildings where they were supposed to receive care, according to News.ro. Investigators have determined that instead of receiving proper care, the vulnerable individuals were treated inhumanely and degraded.
The exploitation was allegedly carried out through deprivation of sufficient and adequate nutritional food, failure to administer appropriate medical treatment for each beneficiary's diagnosis, lack of care, and failure to ensure hygiene.
The case revolves around the establishment of a criminal organization, human trafficking, false statements, intellectual forgery, material forgery of official documents, and embezzlement, all related to the administration of centers for the elderly and mentally disabled individuals. The centers were privately managed but supported through public funds.
An advisor to the minister of family, youth, and equal opportunities, the Social Democrat Gabriela Firea, is reportedly a witness in the case opened by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism/DIICOT.
Ligia Gheorghe, currently a counselor in Firea's ministry, along with her relatives, would have been involved in the centers now targeted by DIICOT's investigation. The ministry confirmed that she worked without salary at the respective association but resigned shortly after joining the newly established ministry led by Gabriela Firea in March 2022, while the offenses referred to by DIICOT took place in November 2020.
The institution led by Gabriela Firea also stated that it "appreciates and supports the efforts of the authorities to investigate the complaints related to these elderly care homes and centers for persons with disabilities in several counties across the country," considering that "where the complaints are confirmed, those responsible must be held accountable before the law."
The ministry, cited by News.ro, also notes that "minister Gabriela Firea has no involvement in this case and was not aware of the activity of the centers and the association mentioned in this investigation.” Furthermore, the Ministry of Family, Youth, and Equal Opportunities emphasized that it does not have the authority to accredit and/or control nursing homes and/or centers for persons with disabilities.
Of the nearly 100 individuals who were taken over by the authorities, six have already been hospitalized, and another 42 are undergoing medical examinations.
Simultaneously, over 20 searches were conducted related to the failure to report and abuse of office, as, from 2021 until present, two public institutions responsible for social assistance and child protection allegedly awarded several contracts for residential social services to an association, therefore violating the provisions of the Public Procurement Law, as the association in question did not meet the requirement of previous similar experience or did not have a functioning license.
Two journalistic investigations published earlier this year by the Center for Media Investigations presented the situation of publicly funded but privately managed centers. In these centers, the elderly and the sick were allegedly kept in miserable conditions, with only paper-based catering and without medication and proper care, also being subjected to abuse.
(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Octav Ganea)
