Romania’s Minister of Interior Gabriel Oprea, who is also a deputy Prime Minister, has used a motorcade 1,500 times this year, according to sources quoted by Digi 24.

Only the President, Prime Minister and the presidents of the Parliament’s two chambers have the right to use motorcades that facilitate their move through traffic while the Minister of Interior can only use a motorcade for urgent missions. However, Gabriel Oprea used a motorcade on average five times each day.

Various people who wished to remain annonimous have told the press how the minister even used a motorcade for his personal rides to the restaurant or to the barbershop.

Minister Oprea came under public scrutiny after a motorcycle policeman died last Tuesday while on a mission in Bucharest, as he fell into an open pit in the road. The policeman was part of the minister’s motorcade. The prosecutors are currently investigating the case.

When asked why he was using a motorcade that day, Oprea said that he was coming from a state institution, without going into details.

editor@romania-insider.com