Romania's former president Klaus Iohannis ordered to return nearly EUR 1 mln in illegal rent for lost property

Romania's former president, Klaus Iohannis, has been ordered by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) to return nearly EUR 1 million in rent, penalties, and interest linked to properties in Sibiu that he lost in court, Digi24 reported on August 17.

According to the ruling, Iohannis had collected around EUR 300,000 in rent from two properties subsequently returned to the Romanian state. ANAF calculated that, with penalties and accrued interest, the sum due now approaches EUR 1 million.

The Supreme Court ruled in September 2024 against the Iohannis family in a case concerning a property at 35 Magheru Street in Sibiu. The court determined that the inheritance certificate underpinning the family's claim to the building was illegal. The decision also confirmed that proceeds obtained from renting the property must be returned to the state.

The disputed Magheru Street property had been jointly owned from 1999 to 2008 by Carmen Iohannis, the former president's wife, her mother Georgeta Lăzurcă, and Ion Baștea, who has since died. The Iohannis family later bought Baștea's share, which became subject to the legal dispute.

The September 2024 ruling followed an earlier case from November 2015 in which the Iohannis family was ordered to return another Sibiu property, a commercial space at 29 Nicolae Bălcescu Street, to the state.

Romanian president loses properties in court and should return EUR 0.26 mln collected rent

(Photo source: Presidency.ro)