Romanian court lifts all restrictions on Viorel Pașca and family in Bihor illegal nursing homes case
The Bucharest Court of Appeal revoked judicial control measures for all six defendants on 13 July, rejecting the prosecution's appeal for preventive detention in the case involving over 3,300 vulnerable people housed without a licence.
Court decision
The Bucharest Court of Appeal issued a definitive ruling on Monday, 13 July, removing all preventative measures against Viorel Pașca, his wife Florica Pașca, their three sons (Viorel-Emanuel, Abel-Timotei, and Daniel-Sabin), and Delia Mioara Păcală, the coordinator of activities at the illegal nursing homes in Bihor county. The court rejected as unfounded the appeal filed by DIICOT prosecutors against the 2 July decision of the Bucharest Tribunal, which had imposed judicial control instead of the 30-day preventive detention prosecutors wanted. The judges also admitted the appeals filed by the six defendants and removed the judicial control measure entirely.
Rejects as unfounded the appeal filed by PICCJ-DIICOT against the ruling of 02.07.2026. Removes the provision regarding the taking of the judicial control measure against the defendants.
Prosecution's allegations
DIICOT prosecutors allege that Viorel Pașca illegally sheltered more than 3,300 people in nursing homes operating without a licence. The charges include forming an organised criminal group, human trafficking in continued form, and complicity to human trafficking. The provisional indictment mentions 210 specific acts attributed to Viorel Pașca. Raids on the night of 29-30 June targeted 18 properties housing over 400 people in vulnerable conditions, after which several items were confiscated.
I am not ashamed of my 20-year activity, in which I tried to help, to be of use, to bring a plus to society, to the lives of these people who had no one left.
Tribunal's earlier reasoning
When the Bucharest Tribunal decided on judicial control on 2 July, the judge noted that people housed in the Pașca family homes were provided with food, shelter, clothing, medication, and access to medical services, as well as funeral arrangements, even if in an unauthorised setting insufficient compared to legal requirements. The magistrate pointed out that medical units, ambulance services, local public administration authorities, and social assistance services were the ones who sent most of the patients to Bihor because state institutions found no other solutions for their protection. The court also referenced evidence contradicting the image of an activity carried out exclusively in degrading conditions.
- Viorel Pașca allegedly begins forming the illegal care network.
- DIICOT launches coordinated raids on 18 properties linked to Pașca.
- Bucharest Tribunal imposes judicial control on six defendants, rejecting 30-day arrest request.
- Bucharest Court of Appeal postpones its ruling on the appeals.
- Court definitively removes judicial control; all defendants are free without restrictions.
European Commission response
In an exclusive statement to Libertatea on Saturday, 11 July, a European Commission spokesperson confirmed that the Commission had not been officially informed by Romanian authorities about this specific case, despite nearly two weeks having passed since the case entered public attention through the DIICOT press release. The Commission flagged persistent deficiencies in Romania's long-term care system in the 2026 Country Report and the 2026 Country-Specific Recommendations, both published in June, calling for improved access to quality services with a special focus on long-term care and social services for disadvantaged groups.
The Commission has not been officially informed about this specific case. The design, management, quality control, and provision of long-term care are primarily a matter of national competence.
Background
The case began with dozens of searches on 30 June in Bihor county. Prosecutors believe the nursing homes exploited the vulnerability of hundreds of people housed without authorisation. The DIICOT communication stated that starting from 2020 a 55-year-old man formed, together with other people, a network that operated outside the legal framework. A particular detail that drew attention was that 401 deceased individuals were buried in a field. Viorel Pașca, before the ruling, told the court that he had not prepared a specific defence strategy and that all he could do was tell the truth, adding that he had already resigned himself to whatever outcome awaited.
