Romanian prosecutors seize €6.4 million in assets from Bihor care home owner Viorel Pașca
DIICOT has frozen all assets of Viorel Pașca and his association to secure moral damages for 128 alleged victims of exploitation in unauthorized care homes.
Romanian anti-organized crime prosecutors (DIICOT) have placed a sweeping seizure on the assets of Viorel-Teodor Pașca and his association, "Dumbrava - Dumnezeu Poartă de Grijă", in the so-called "azilele groazei" (nursing homes of horror) case. The measure, described by the lawyer as leaving the family without any money to survive, targets 6.4 million euros in moral damages for 128 victims, plus 13.3 million lei in cash received for housing and feeding vulnerable people between 2020 and 2025.
The seizure
Prosecutors froze all movable and immovable property belonging to Pașca and the association, including all bank accounts. The action is preventive, aimed at stopping the suspects from disposing of assets or becoming insolvent before the trial concludes. The judicial authorities cited European Court of Human Rights case law, specifically Air Canada v. the United Kingdom (1995), to argue that the restriction on property rights is proportionate to the goal of protecting the fundamental rights of the injured persons.
All the money was taken during the searches. Practically, the PAȘCA family no longer has any money to survive.
Victims and damages
The prosecutor exercised civil action ex officio for 128 of the 210 people considered victims in the human trafficking case, claiming 50,000 euros in moral damages per person. The total seizure for damages amounts to 6.4 million euros. An additional 13,319,977.47 lei (the sums received for accommodation and food between 2020 and 2025) was also blocked. At the time of the raids, over 400 people were housed in the centers, but only 210 were classified as injured parties, and civil action was taken for just 128 of them.
- Total residents relocated
- 409 persons
- Victims in trafficking case
- 210 persons
- Civil parties for damages
- 128 persons
Government response
The Romanian government unblocked 19 million lei to care for the 409 people removed from the association's homes. The sum is expected to cover expenses for 6 to 12 months, which works out to between 3,871 and 8,742 lei per vulnerable person.
Legal proceedings
On Thursday, 2 July, the Bucharest Tribunal placed six people from the case under judicial control, rejecting the prosecutors' request for 30-day preventive arrest. Viorel Pașca, his wife, three sons, and an employee were among those placed under supervision. The investigation used four undercover agents to gather evidence on the network's activities.
