Romanian prosecutors conduct searches targeting head of Prahova County Council
Searches were conducted on Thursday, February 1, in connection to an investigation targeting the president of the Prahova County Council, Iulian Dumitrescu, Digi24 reported.
Anticorruption (DNA) prosecutors also searched the headquarters of the Prahova County Council.
"Prosecutors within the National Anticorruption Directorate - Corruption Fighting Section are conducting investigations in a criminal case that targets suspicions regarding the commission of corruption and forgery, committed from 2020 until the present, by public officials [...]. On February 1, 2024, as a result of obtaining legal authorizations from the competent court, home searches are being conducted in 19 locations in Bucharest and the counties of Ilfov and Prahova, one of which at the headquarters of a public institution, the rest being the residences of individuals and the headquarters of commercial companies,” reads the DNA press release.
Iulian Dumitrescu is vice-president of the governing National Liberal Party (PNL). He has served two terms as a senator, one for Călăraşi and another for Prahova County. In earlier documents, Dumitrescu revealed that he has a bank loan of EUR 127,000 due in 2036, but also another loan of USD 180,000 to an individual creditor.
President Klaus Iohannis commented on the DNA investigation, stating that he does not believe it "significantly affects" the political situation because "these matters do not target political activity." He further noted that “prosecutors have every right to check political persons if there are clear signals.”
PNL conveyed through spokesperson Ionuț Stroe that justice must be served and that the party will apply the rules of its Ethical Code and statutory provisions depending on future developments.
Iulian Dumitrescu posted a message on Facebook, stating he will provide prosecutors with all the necessary information and "will not hide" behind any political or administrative position. "Once this phase of the investigation is completed, I will communicate transparently to the public opinion about what happened. I have nothing to hide," Dumitrescu transmitted.
(Photo source: Iulian Dumitrescu on Facebook)
