Romanian soldiers on parental leave went to Congo as mercenaries, Defense Ministry finds

Several Romanian military personnel who were on parental leave went to Congo as mercenaries, according to a statementfrom the Ministry of National Defense.

The issue of active soldiers taking mercenary work first came up on the public agenda after PressOne reported on Romanian soldiers employed by Horațiu Potra. Himself a former mercenary, Potra is now a wanted fugitive accused by prosecutors of organizing protests against constitutional order. Potra also provided security for pro-Russian candidate Călin Georgescu.

Official investigations began after the findings published in the media. At the end of February, the minister of national defense, Angel Tîlvăr, ordered a comprehensive investigation into the possibility that active personnel from the Ministry of National Defense, temporarily suspended from service, had engaged in activities with private Romanian security companies operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Findings revealed that 466 reservist soldiers from the Ministry of National Defense signed contracts for various periods with security companies operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo after retiring.

“So far, no active-duty personnel on unpaid leave, as per Article 14 of Law No. 80 of July 11, 1995, regarding the status of military personnel, were identified as having traveled to the D.R. Congo during their leave for work with private security companies,” the ministry stated.

However, extending the investigation to other forms of leave, investigators found that seven active-duty soldiers, namely two non-commissioned officers and five professional soldiers, who, while legally on parental leave for children up to two years old, went to Congo to work for security companies. The seven went to Congo between 2023 and early 2025. Three of these soldiers are still on parental leave, while four have returned to their units.

Investigations have been completed for one of the seven soldiers, with a report filed to the Military Prosecutor's Office, and similar measures will be applied to the remaining six. Disciplinary and administrative actions have also been initiated, pending the Military Prosecutor’s decision on the legal classification of their offenses.

Another 24 soldiers were rehired by the Romanian Army after resigning from the MApN to fight in Congo, according to the statement.