Government · Constanța
Romanian official arrested for allegedly paying €110,000 to prosecutor in influence peddling scandal
Daniel Dumitru Learciu, director of AFIR Constanța and a former PSD vice-president, was placed under preventive arrest for 30 days for allegedly handing €110,000 and gifts to a prosecutor between December 2025 and April 2026.
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In brief
Daniel Dumitru Learciu, director of OJFIR Constanța and former vice-president of the Constanța County Council, was placed under 30-day preventive arrest on 27 June 2026.
Prosecutors say Learciu handed approximately €110,000 and goods to a prosecutor over four dates between December 2025 and April 2026 to buy influence.
Recordings show Learciu placing money in a cabinet inside the prosecutor's office and the prosecutor hiding the cash in a briefcase.
Prosecutors Gigi Ștefan and Teodor Niță were arrested in May as part of the same investigation into corruption within the Constanța judiciary.
The preventive arrest decision is not final; Learciu benefits from the presumption of innocence and may appeal the measure.
- 18 MayPSD Constanța announces Learciu's self-suspension and resignation as county councillor.
- 26 JunLearciu detained for 24 hours by the General Prosecutor's Office.
- 27 JunHigh Court of Cassation and Justice orders 30-day preventive arrest.
The allegations
Daniel Dumitru Learciu, director of the Constanța County Office for Rural Investment Financing (OJFIR/AFIR) and a former vice-president of the Constanța County Council, was detained on 26 June and ordered into preventive arrest the next day. Prosecutors from the General Prosecutor's Office accuse him of buying influence in continued form, carried out through four separate payments totalling approximately €110,000 and additional goods. The money was allegedly delivered directly to prosecutor Gigi Valentin Ștefan inside his office at the Constanța Court of Appeal.
“At this moment, he assumes nothing. At this moment he is under the protection of the presumption of innocence.”
The payments
According to the prosecutor's statement, the handovers took place on 12 December 2025, 20 April, 23 April and 27 April 2026. Learciu is said to have asked the prosecutor to intervene with various public officials on his behalf, including for the recovery of a suspended driving licence. The four material acts are treated as a single continuous offence of buying influence, which carries a penalty of 2 to 7 years in prison and loss of certain rights under the Romanian Criminal Code.
The evidence
Hidden cameras installed in prosecutor Ștefan's office captured key moments. Footage reportedly shows Learciu placing two stacks of money in a cabinet, and another recording shows the prosecutor stuffing a bribe into a briefcase. During searches, investigators found €100,000 in the office and €30,000 in the prosecutor's car. The same prosecutor is also accused of receiving about €60,000 from another person in April 2026 for promising to settle a criminal case favourably.
The wider investigation
The case is connected to the May arrest of prosecutors Gigi Ștefan and Teodor Niță, both from the Constanța Court of Appeal. Ștefan is charged with continuous influence peddling, while Niță is under investigation for instigation to abuse of office. After searches in May, Learciu suspended himself from the PSD and resigned as county councillor. The preventive arrest warrant is valid from 27 June to 26 July 2026 and may be appealed within 48 hours. The investigation continues to map the full corruption mechanism.
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Sources and context
- Stirile ProTV"Nu își asumă nimic" - avocatul lui Daniel Learciu, după ce fostul vicepreședinte CJ Constanța a fost arestat pentru șpagă - Știrile ProTV
- HotNews.roȘeful Agenției pentru Finanțarea Investițiilor Rurale Constanța a fost arestat preventiv, în dosarul în care sunt vizați și doi procurori cu vechime - HotNews.ro
- Stirile ProTV110.000 de euro, în patru tranșe, pentru un procuror. Daniel Dumitru Learciu, directorul AFIR Constanța, arestat de ÎCCJ - Știrile ProTV
- Mediafax.roDaniel Learciu, arestat preventiv în dosarul procurorilor din Constanța. Acuzația: cumpărare de influență în formă continuată
- Daniel Dumitru Learciu
- Director of OJFIR Constanța, former PSD vice-president of the Constanța County Council, accused of buying influence.
- Gigi Valentin Ștefan
- Former prosecutor at the Constanța Court of Appeal, charged with continuous influence peddling.
- Teodor Niță
- Former deputy prosecutor at the Constanța Court of Appeal, under investigation for instigation to abuse of office.
- Mihai Adrian Hotca
- Lawyer representing Daniel Dumitru Learciu.
- Places
- Constanța
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