Dead Romanian policeman’s family asks for EUR 3 mln compensations

The family of Bogdan Gigina, a motorcycle policeman who died in Bucharest while opening the way for former interior minister Gabriel Oprea’s motorcade, in October 2015, is asking for EUR 3 million worth of compensation, according to sources familiar with the investigation, quoted by Mediafax. Gigina, who was only 28, died after falling into an open pit in the road, on a rainy evening. The former interior minister is being prosecuted for manslaughter in Gigina’s death case for using the motorcycle policeman in his escort despite de bad weather conditions. Gabriel Oprea claims that he never gave specific orders about the structure of his motorcade and that the police were in charge of this. However, the National Anticorruption Directorate also indicted Oprea earlier this year for abuse of power, after using the police escort more times than the President and the Prime Minister for his day to day trips. If found responsible for Gigina’s death, Oprea may be liable to pay compensations to the man’s family. The anticorruption prosecutors seized some of his assets, as well as some of his family’s assets, after Oprea apparently transferred some of his properties to his children after being indicted in October this year. The prosecutors also seized the assets of local investor Petre Mazilu, the owner of the construction company that had dug the pit in which Gigina fell. The prosecutors believe that Mazilu’s firm didn’t properly signal the site, an accusation he rejects. editor@romania-insider.com