Romanian mayor sent to court for illegally cutting a whole forest to make room for residential district

The mayor of Baia de Arama, a town in Mehedinti county - South Western Romania, will stand trial on charges of abuse of office, incitement to theft, and illegal logging. He allegedly ordered the illegal cutting of 4 hectare of poplar wood to make room for a residential district and an ice skating rink, reports local Digi24. However, the City Hall was not allowed to change the destination of the woodland, which had been returned to the local authorities in 2013. Inspectors of the Forest Guard notified the authorities about this situation. The manager of the company that cut the trees will also stand trial in this case, together with three other employees. The company was previously controlled by the Baia de Arama mayor. If found guilty, the defendants risk prison sentences of up to seven years. However, mayor Rafael Dunarintu is not afraid of any court decision against him. Moreover, he sees the project as being a good one for the community in his town. “I’m glad that this investigation has been completed after almost five years, because we can start a major project for Baia de Arama,” he said. The mayor of Baia de Arama is also investigated in two other cases that target EU funds frauds. Illegal logging in Romania: almost 1,000 criminal files opened in August and September Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (Photo source: Wikimedia Commons)