Two Constanta prosecutors sent to trial in corruption case

Prosecutors Gigi Valentin Ștefan and Teodor Niță from the Constanța Court of Appeal prosecutor's office have been sent to trial by the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The case was registered at the supreme court on November 2, 2026, and involves four defendants charged with corruption and related offenses.

The two magistrates are suspended from duty and are in preventive detention. Alongside them are businessman Mihale Cartali and former Constanța county councilor Dumitru Daniel Learciu, who also formerly directed the Constanța County Office for Rural Investment Financing.

“The case prosecutor from the prosecutor's office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice completed the investigations and ordered the referral to trial for corruption and other offenses of four defendants.”

Investigators allege that Ștefan accepted approximately 110,000 euros, goods, and other undue benefits between December 2025 and April 2026. The money reportedly came from a businessman identified in the file by the initials L.D.D., in exchange for promised interventions with public officials, prosecutors, police, and other decision-makers.

The alleged interventions sought favorable solutions, expedited procedures, and business support. Specific matters mentioned include the recovery of a driver's license, a professional transfer to the Constanța Court of Accounts, a leadership post at the Energy Shareholding Administration Company, and preferential treatment with the Ministry of Energy.

The investigation also examined alleged interventions in criminal cases, public contracts with companies indicated by the suspects, the administration of beaches in Năvodari, wind farm development, and real estate support requests. Teodor Niță additionally faces accusations of abusive investigation, including the alleged use of unreal evidence in a criminal case.

The case was investigated by prosecutor Marius Iacob of the prosecutor's office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The General Prosecutor's Office announced the referral to trial in a statement issued on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.