Romanian authorities have detained former Social Democratic MPs for their alleged involvement in a property scandal that has defrauded several Romanians, with media speculating that Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu may be implicated, www.euractiv.com reports. The Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) in Bucharest announced on Tuesday that it had ordered the detention of 11 people in the Nordis case and placed two defendants under judicial supervision. On Monday and Tuesday, police and prosecutors carried out more than 60 searches at locations in Romania and Monaco. Among those detained are former Social Democrat MP Laura Vicol, who chaired the legal affairs committee of the Chamber of Deputies in the previous legislature, and her husband, Vladimir Ciorba, the main shareholder in the Nordis group. The two are accused of forming an organised criminal group that "designed and implemented a complex criminal mechanism involving the promotion and development of real estate projects under the cover of several commercial companies, followed by the collection of money from buyers and the embezzlement of company funds," according to a DIICOT statement. The group's property company devised a scheme whereby Nordis collected large sums of money in advance from people who paid in full for flats but never received them. The case also included hearings of the notary Andreea Cosma, a former PSD MP, and Ioana Basescu, the daughter of former President Traian Basescu, who certified several promises to sell apartments. The scandal could reach the very top of the PSD. G4Media revealed that Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu had flown on a private jet several times, with some flights allegedly paid for by a company in the Nordis group. The prime minister initially denied flying on private jets, but later admitted that he had indulged in "an arrogance" by claiming to have paid for his own tickets. Last month, Laura Vicol, who was left off the PSD's list of candidates for the December 2024 parliamentary elections as a result of the scandal, admitted that she had flown on private jets with Social Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu. She also said that her resignation from the PSD was not voluntary. "I don't understand why this execution was carried out, and I am upset that the men in my party did not support me as they should have," she said. Asked whether he had a friendly relationship with Vladimir Ciorba and Laura Vicol, PSD President Ciolacu replied: "I haven't communicated with them for over two years. He also claimed that Vicol did not become head of the Chamber of Deputies' Legal Committee with his support. Sorin Grindeanu, the PSD's first vice-president and transport minister, also flew with Ciolacu and Laura Vicol. On Tuesday, Grindeanu said that the private jet flights were not paid for by Nordis and that he would present invoices as proof. Asked by journalists if he had discussed the Nordis contracts with Vicol and her husband, the Transport Minister replied: "No. I found out about these things at the same time as you did".
In the context in which agri-food systems are responsible for almost one third of global greenhouse gas emissions, Auchan Romania assumes an active role in the transition of its supply chain toward a more sustainable model. At the second edition of the Climate Supplier Event, organized under the aegis of the Climate Change Summit, the […]
Janiva Magness, the winner of seven Blues Music Awards following 26 nominations, and nominated for a Grammy for a career spanning 17 albums, is set to perform at the 14th edition of the Brașov Jazz & Blues Festival, which will take place between August 14–16, 2026. Magness is one of the most valuable and influential […]
Auction house Artmark announced a major auction for this winter featuring an engraving created by Francisco Goya, the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Romania's late communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu received this gift from King Juan Carlos I as a gesture of diplomacy. The engraving entitled “The Engagement – Capricho […]
Authorities managing Romania's Bicaz Gorges–Hășmaș National Park has built a fish ladder system on the Bicaz River, which will allow protected species to migrate and reproduce. There are several bridges and small bridge structures in the Bicaz River that have a “bottom sill,” meaning small waterfalls. Fish that do not jump like the trout cannot […]
The far-right opposition parties in the Romanian Parliament are set to file a motion of no confidence against the government headed by prime minister Ilie Bolojan. The motion, authored by senator Ninel Peia of the Peace – Romania First group, is specifically aimed at the reformist party Save Romania Union (USR), and is entitled “Romania […]
Romania's iconic rock singer Adrian Pleșca, known as “Artan,” died on Tuesday, December 2, after a fatal stroke, at the age of 64. The artist founded the well-known band “Timpuri Noi” in 1982 and “Partizan” in 2001, and was popular on the Romanian rock scene. Over the years, he left and returned to the two bands. Several […]
