Journalists claim purchase of castle in France part of Romanian mayor's network of hidden properties

A recent investigation conducted by Romanian journalists at Recorder claims to show that Vlad Oprea, the mayor of Sinaia, a popular mountain town roughly 120 km north of Bucharest, has an impressive fortune hidden from public view. He allegedly owns several properties, including a castle in France, which was bought under the name of one of his close associates. In his turn, the mayor denied the allegations and said the journalistic material was released to harm his electoral campaign.

Vlad Oprea has been the mayor of Sinaia since 2004 and is now running for another term.

One of Oprea's associates, Beniamin Gonț, serves as a front for the Liberal (PNL) mayor, journalists say. Despite managing only a few modest businesses - which sprung up in the touristic parts of Sinaia through Oprea’s goodwill - Gonț rather inexplicably had the funds to purchase and now restore the castle in France. The property is set to be restored with costs expected to exceed EUR 2 million, a story that was reported on in the local French media. The same report initially brought the story to the attention of the Romanian journalists.

According to the French press, the castle is set to be transformed into a luxury hotel. The building, which is now in a state of advanced decay, is located in Orthez, close to the Pyrenees and the coast of the Atlantic. The mayor of Orthez admitted to meeting the Romanian “investors” but refused to provide any more information, although neighbors told journalists they saw Vlad Oprea at the property in France several times.

Vlad Oprea’s hidden financial ties do not stop with the castle in France, according to Recorder. Privacons SRL, a company officially owned by his 80-year-old mother, received hundreds of thousands of euros from various businessmen with connections to the municipality headed by Oprea.

Additionally, several significant investments in the mountain resort are registered in the name of Beniamin Gonț or his brothers, while Oprea's relatives hold key positions in local administration. The investigation also claims to show manipulated public tenders and a circuit of bribes.

According to the same investigation, Oprea’s influence is by no means strictly limited to the local area. The Sinaia mayor has a close friendship with Lucian Bode, former minister of internal affairs and current PNL secretary general. It is worth noting that Bode was himself investigated for plagiarizing his thesis.

The investigation claims that Vlad Oprea helped Lucian Bode build a vacation villa in Sinaia, registered in the name of the PNL leader's son. The land where this villa was built was allegedly bought by Lucian Bode from the mayor's sister at a price reportedly much lower than the area's market value. Bode denied wrongdoing in the transaction but avoided admitting that he bought the land in Sinaia from Oprea’s sister.