Romanian prosecutors raid Oil Terminal, customs and CEC Bank in tax fraud probe

Romanian prosecutors and police carried out 46 home searches on Thursday morning in Bucharest and the counties of Constanța, Bacău, Prahova, Galați and Ilfov. The operation targeted employees of state oil company Oil Terminal, the Constanța Border Customs Office and two units of CEC Bank.

Investigators allege that an organized crime group was formed in 2023 by four suspects, later joined by other members. One suspect coordinated the activity and controlled several commercial companies through people formally appointed to administrative roles.

“The case involves an astronomical prejudice to the state budget through successive operations with petroleum products.”

The group is suspected of building fictitious trade circuits to avoid paying VAT and excise duties on diesel and gasoline. It is also accused of illegally obtaining tens of millions of lei in state-guaranteed bank loans.

One investigated mechanism involved artificially inserting an insolvent company between the diesel supplier and the final buyers. That company issued invoices for fictitious deliveries, allowing the beneficiary company to illegally deduct VAT.

Between December 2023 and August 2025, more than 340 invoices worth over 208 million lei were recorded in that company's accounting. The estimated damage for this component is approximately 33.3 million lei, representing VAT.

Among those targeted are Gabriel Daraban, brother of Mihai Daraban, president of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who reportedly resigned as Oil Terminal's commercial director one day before the raids. Also targeted are the head of Constanța Customs, customs officers in Constanța, the head of the ANAF tax inspection in Bacău, Oil Terminal directors and CEC Bank employees.

The case was opened at the beginning of 2026 and involves suspected organized crime, tax evasion, illegal fund obtaining, fraud, public tender rigging and abuse of office, some in continuous form and with extremely serious consequences.