A 92-year-old war veteran from Botosani county was sent to court for fraud after he used the free train tickets he received from the state to make some money.

The prosecutors seized his house and land, the damage in this case being estimated at some RON 20,000 (EUR 4,300), reports local Stirileprotv.ro.

Each war veteran in Romania is entitled to 12 free train trips per year together with a companion.

The 92-year-old man was going to the train station and was asking young people to accompany him on the Botosani-Bucharest route. The young men paid the veteran RON 40-50 travel as his companions, less than half the price of a ticket on this route, which is RON 120.

The prosecutors say that the man also purchased free tickets from other veterans to make more trips.

The Police started the investigation in this case two years ago. They found that the 92-year-old man used more than 200 tickets on the Botosani-Bucharest route in the first seven months of 2015, which could translate into one ticket per day.

The war veteran said that he did this because he had a very small pension. Now, if the court finds him guilty, he could be sentenced to up to five years in prison. However, considering his age, the man will most likely receive a suspended sentence or a fine.

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com