DNA opened two cases of abuse of office for the authorization of the LPG station in Crevedia

The National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) announces that it has opened two criminal files regarding the commission by public officials of alleged crimes of abuse of office with obtaining undue benefits in connection with the authorization of the LPG station in the town of Crevedia, where two people died and 56 others were injured in the aftermath of two catastrophic explosions.

“Two criminal files were registered at the National Anticorruption Directorate, as a result of ex officio notifications, with the object of the commission by public officials of alleged crimes of abuse of office with the obtaining of undue benefits for themselves or others, in connection with authorization of the LPG station in the town of Crevedia, Dâmbovița county, where two explosions took place during the day of August 26, 2023.  

The criminal prosecution is carried out in relation to the act (“in rem”), therefore, at this moment, no person has the status of suspect or defendant.  

This stage does not have the character of formulating accusations against a person/s, but only has the significance of establishing the procedural framework that allows the collection of evidence necessary to assess whether or not any criminal act has occurred”, says a DNA press release.

Following the tragedy in Crevedia, the General Prosecutor’s Office is also working on a criminal file aimed at establishing the causes of the deflagration, but also the role that the institutions had in this case, given that the LPG station was closed, in documents, since September 30, 2020.

According to the general prosecutor Alex Florenta, after the closure, in the fall of 2020, the company – which has 25 work points throughout the country – was to function only as a parking point for tankers, but transfers of LPG from tankers routinely took place there , although he no longer had any kind of authorization.

The first data of the investigation in the case of the explosions show that at that time LPG was being transferred from one tank to another, a hose being used, and a source of fire appeared under one of the cars, General Prosecutor Alex Florenta said on Sunday. He said the investigation was also aimed at establishing the role of the institutions that should have carried out checks and ensured that the LPG depot did not continue to operate, although it had no permits and had been declared closed since October 2020.

The LPG company where the explosion occurred in Crevedia and which belongs to Ionuţ Daniel Doldurea, the son of the PSD mayor of Caracal, Ion Doldurea, was fined several times by the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations for several irregularities related to non-compliance with the measures of fire safety, and on September 30, 2020, the company notified the authorities that it was closing the workplace.