15 city mayors are currently suspended from office following the investigations conducted by the National Anti-corruption Directorate in their cases.
In Bucharest, two district mayors out of six are suspended from office: District 5 mayor Marian Vanghelie and District 1 mayor Andrei Chiliman. They both face corruption charges related to bribe taking. Marian Vanghelie is under house arrest, while Chiliman is free, but subject to legal restrictions pending trial. Chiliman is not allowed to enter the district hall HQs and is compelled to go to the police station twice a week.
Other two district mayors- Robert Negoita and Rares Manescu are also involved in some investigations, with locals asking for their resignation.
Across the country, more than 10 big cities are lacking mayors, after they have been either arrested or under house arrest for corruption deeds.
Iasi City Hall has no mayor either, as Gheorghe Nichita is suspended after facing judicial review in the case of spying on his lover, also employee at the same City Hall. He has been running the city hall for 12 years. At the same time, Nichita was also banned to come back to the helm of the Social Democrat Party branch in Iasi, the party leadership decided on Monday.
Brasov mayor George Scripcaru is also investigated for bribe taking. He is subject to legal restrictions pending trial after the Supreme Court dismissed the prosecutors’ request to have him arrested. Scripcaru is also compelled to go to the county police on a regular basis.
The saga of the eccentric mayor of Constanta Radu Mazare is well known. After he had served almost three months in jail, he has been released on June 24 and now he is subject to legal restrictions pending trial. He is charged with taking EUR 9 million bribe from private companies in exchange for helping them obtain authorizations.
“I’ll go sunbathing and do nothing that should prompt prosecutors start again any investigation against me,” Mazare was saying.
Until new local elections being held, the responsibilities of the suspended mayors have been taken over by the deputy mayors.