Romanian mayor stands trial in new corruption case

Prosecutors from the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) sent Targu Mures mayor Dorin Florea to court for complicity to usurping the official function. Florea is accused of creating the premises for a former deputy mayor to be able to sign documents although a court order forbade him to do this kind of activity. DNA is now accusing the mayor, the former deputy mayor and former secretary of the commune of illegally signing over 9,000 documents. Prosecutors say that, between early March 2016 and the end of June 2017, former deputy mayor Sergiu Claudiu Maior, who was the mayor’s adviser at the time of the facts, signed 9,198 payment orders issued by Targu Mures City Hall, although a court order forbade him to sign such documents. The ban resulted from the incompatibility established by the National Integrity Agency (ANI) and confirmed by the court by a final decision on March 1, 2016. Following this sentence, Maior lost the right to occupy a public office for three years. To avoid this ban, after resigning from the position of deputy mayor and local councilor, Maior Sergiu Claudiu was appointed the mayor's adviser. This allowed Maior to continue with the activities forbidden by law, according to DNA. Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com