Romanian court orders preventive arrest of Mangalia mayor on corruption charges
Cristian Radu, the mayor of Mangalia - a popular seaside resort in Romania, has been placed in pre-trial detention for 30 days after the Constanța Court of Appeal upheld prosecutors’ request to arrest him on bribery charges. The ruling,…
Irina Marica · Journalist
· Updated · 2 min read
Cristian Radu, the mayor of Mangalia - a popular seaside resort in Romania, has been placed in pre-trial detention for 30 days after the Constanța Court of Appeal upheld prosecutors’ request to arrest him on bribery charges. The ruling, delivered on Wednesday, August 27, is final, News.ro reported.
Radu, who had previously been investigated under judicial control following a decision by the Constanța Tribunal, was taken into custody after judges accepted the appeal filed by the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA).
Prosecutors accuse Cristian Radu of five counts of taking bribes, including one in continuous form, as well as money laundering.
According to the DNA, between 2020 and 2025, while serving as mayor, Radu allegedly solicited and received a total of EUR 645,000 directly and through intermediaries. The payments were reportedly linked to the issuance of urban planning documents, the initiation of local council decisions, and other acts connected to his office.
Investigators detailed several separate schemes. Between 2022 and 2024, mayor Radu is alleged to have demanded EUR 80,000 and received EUR 42,333 through an intermediary, in exchange for allowing individuals to conduct commercial activities on the beach and in Mangalia’s Tourist Port without being penalized by local police. Prosecutors said the money was disguised as purchases of luxury clothing.
In 2023, Cristian Radu allegedly received the equivalent of EUR 500,000 by securing a reduced purchase price for the assets of a commercial company, tied to the transfer of lease contracts for land in the Tourist Port.
That same year, he is accused of demanding EUR 50,000 and receiving RON 150,000 (about EUR 30,000) to ensure that two individuals building a property in the Neptun resort would not face inspections from municipal officials.
Prosecutors further allege that in early 2025, Radu took EUR 50,000 from an individual in exchange for obtaining a certificate of attestation for the completion or extension of a building in Saturn resort, despite the construction having been carried out without a permit.
Moreover, the DNA also claims mayor Radu concealed large sums by purchasing a hotel in the seaside resort of Cap Aurora in 2023.
