The Bucharest Court decided on March 12 to again place Romanian businessman Ilie Carabulea under preventive arrest with home detention.

Carabulea, the owner of the Carpatica Bank and Carpatica Asig insurance firm, is facing prosecution as part of the “Carpatica” case which involves bribery and trading influence.

The decision is not final and can be appealed by both Carabulea and prosecutors from the National Anticorruption Department DNA, reports local news agency Mediafax.

In this case, Ilie Carabulea - who controls Carpatica group, and Marian Mirzac - former director of Carpatica Asigurari in Sibiu, are accused of managing to fraudulently delay and influence the results of an audit by the Financial Surveillance Authority (ASF) at the insurance company.

They’ve both been placed under preventive arrest in late-January, when the prosecutors also started the criminal investigation of Radu Mustatea, a member of Carpatica Asigurari’s board, and Ovidiu Ioan Cezar Giurgea, an official at the Financial Supervisory Authority ASF.

The wife of former Finance minister Daniel Chitoiu is also involved in this case. Laura Chitoiu used to work at ASF, but after the scandal started, she resigned.

Also, the National Anticorruption Directorate DNA asked the general prosecutor of the High Court of Cassation and Justice to require the Chamber of Deputies approval for the prosecution of Daniel Chitoiu in the “Carpatica” case, for abuse in office and setting up an organized criminal group when he was Minister of Finance. However, Romania’s Chamber of Deputies rejected on Tuesday (March 11), by secret vote, the request to approve prosecution of Chitoiu.

The former president of ASF, Dan Radu Rusanu, is also prosecuted in this case, and was arrested for 30 days in early-March.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com