The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) announces that on Wednesday, July 13, the criminal prosecution of former Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) President Ion Druță, who has been indicted for the crime of illicit enrichment, was completed.

At the same time, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, in the process of carrying out the criminal prosecution on the case, at the request of the anti-corruption prosecutors and with the authorization of the investigating judge, 5 non-housing premises, 2 housing premises and a car were seized for a total amount of 12 796 510 lei.

According to the indictment, quoted by the PA, Ion Druță is accused of having obtained a series of movable and immovable properties, the source of which cannot be justified, between 2014 and 2019, while holding the position of CSJ president and judge of the same court.

The former judge allegedly concluded contracts of sale and purchase, construction investments, leasing, through relatives, and organised and acquired immovable and movable property, which he holds through them, the value of which substantially exceeds the means acquired by him and members of his family.

“From 2014 to 2019, when the former magistrate held the position of judge at the Supreme Court of Justice, he allegedly acquired immovable property through his relatives, which he still owns, in the total amount of 4 580 032 lei (around 231,000 EUR) (which is the amount of official payments made for them, while the average sale price of these properties is 12 796 510 lei – around 650,000 EUR), the source of which cannot be justified and which substantially exceeds the means acquired by him and his family members, while the judge concerned has obtained income of 831 359 lei and his wife of 608 978 lei”, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced.

The AP notes that the criminal prosecution on this case was initiated as early as 2019.

“Since then, a certain period of time some actions have stagnated for various reasons. Thus, as a result of the activation in the last period of time of the prosecution actions carried out on this case, it was possible to end the prosecution,” the Prosecutor’s Office states.

Druță has served as a judge at the CSJ since 2013, becoming president of the court in 2018. His resignation was approved by Parliament on 19 December 2019. According to calculations, Ion Druță received a one-time compensation of 459 thousand lei upon his resignation, from which taxes of 22.5% were deducted, so that 356 thousand lei entered the magistrate’s account.

In the declaration of assets and interests submitted when he resigned as a judge, Ion Druță also listed, in addition to his and his wife’s income, 15.5 thousand lei obtained by his family following the sale, in November 2019, of a property, without specifying its name, a debt of 50 thousand euros contracted in 2016 from his mother, the luxury house in which he lives, as well as two cars, which were also included in previous declarations of assets.