President Nicușor Dan wins lawsuit against Romania’s Electoral Authority over campaign reimbursements
Romanian president Nicușor Dan won the lawsuit filed against the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) after the institution refused to reimburse nearly RON 1 million spent by Dan in the campaign for last year’s presidential elections. The decision issued by the Bucharest Court of Appeal is not final and can be challenged on appeal, according to Digi24.
A panel from the administrative and fiscal litigation section of the Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the president on Tuesday, May 5.
The Permanent Electoral Authority initially invalidated expenses of over RON 930,000 (EUR 176,000) made by the then-independent candidate during the electoral campaign for last year’s presidential elections.
As part of the ruling, the court ordered AEP to reimburse Dan the full sum. The head of state did not request court costs through the action filed against the AEP, expressing his intention to request them separately.
In April 2025, AEP notified the General Prosecutor's Office regarding three irregularities found in the electoral campaign of Nicușor Dan. Among the irregularities, Nicușor Dan allegedly obtained donations worth over RON 3 million (around EUR 650,000) that he did not declare. He also reportedly used a Bucharest City Hall car for electoral purposes, while his electoral staff placed unauthorized banners (stickers) with the slogan "Honest man!" on the windows of the Cișmigiu Hotel.
In November 2025, the AEP decided not to reimburse some of Nicușor Dan's campaign expenses because the donors “cannot be identified.” In reply, Dan said that the AEP had “looked for commas” even in the documents submitted after previous electoral races.
According to the president, his campaign spent RON 61 million (EUR 11.6 million), while AEP reimbursed only RON 60 million.
“The AEP did not understand online donations even in 2025, although in the 2016 and 2020 campaigns, it applied the same fines to me, later annulled by the court, and filed the same criminal complaints, with which nothing happened,” Dan said at the time.
(Photo source: presidency.ro)
