Owner of part of Bucharest park gets EUR 35 mln fine for destroying vegetation

Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan announced that the local Police slapped a EUR 35 million fine on the owner of a 12-hectare land within the IOR Park in the eastern part of the city, which was restituted by court decision.

A series of fires with unidentified sources occurred in this part of the park recently, and the owner preferred to eliminate the vegetation totally. The fine was given for destroying the vegetation with the purpose of changing the use of the land (presumably towards building properties), more precisely for the violation of Article 5, letter h of law 24/2007.

Mayor Nicusor Dan said that the land owner could pay less, meaning half of the minimum fine set under the law (or some EUR 9 million) within a short deadline, or challenge the fine in court, Economica.net reported.

The mayor also stated that he expected the owner to challenge the fine but assured that all the legal details were carefully analysed and there was no risk of seeing the local Police’s decision invalidated.

(Photo source: Facebook/Nicusor Dan)