DNA charges Iași Mayor Mihai Chirica over 2 million lei payment for missing fuel oil

Formal charges and financial allegations

On 6 October 2026, prosecutors from the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in Iași formally charged the mayor of Iași, Mihai Chirica, with abuse of office carrying particularly severe consequences. Investigators allege that on 27 May 2022, acting in his official capacity as mayor and primary authorizing officer, Chirica approved a payment of 2,036,882 lei from the local municipal budget. The transfer was directed to the National Administration of State Reserves and Special Issues (ANRSPS). This payment was intended to cover 542 tonnes of heavy fuel oil that had previously been found missing from state reserve stocks stored at municipal utility Termo Service SA. Prosecutors state that the payment caused a direct loss of 2,036,882 lei to the municipal budget of Iași. To secure recovery of the sum, authorities ordered precautionary asset freezes on real estate belonging to Chirica and fellow defendants.

Questioning and the mayor's response

Chirica arrived at the DNA Iași headquarters on Tuesday morning and underwent questioning for approximately one hour. Prosecutors formally informed the mayor that his procedural status had transitioned to that of an indicted defendant. The questioning followed sessions held the previous day, when several other Iași City Hall employees were called in by anticorruption prosecutors. After leaving the prosecutor's office, Chirica offered a brief statement to journalists waiting outside.

It is the same situation as last time. Nothing has changed. The case has been set in motion.

The mayor maintained that the municipal government had carried out internal assessments to verify fuel flows and shared all findings with the authorities. Following his initial questioning in the probe, Chirica had explained the city's reliance on external state records.

I understand that there is a dilemma regarding the state reserve of fuel oil and I was asked if we keep a record of this reserve. We only have what was provided to us by the ANRSPS. It remains for them to clarify through expert reports, which we, fortunately, have carried out and know the route of the fuel oil.

Wider scope and municipal officials involved

The case extends beyond the mayor, with nine other officials from specialized departments in Iași City Hall under criminal investigation. Prosecutors suspect these officials of complicity in abuse of office with particularly severe consequences as well as continuous intellectual forgery. The allegations center on the drafting and signing of official reception notes and difference reports that falsely registered deliveries of fuel oil. According to the DNA, ANRSPS obtained an unjustified benefit by receiving the municipal payment and balancing its state reserve accounts, while Termo Service SA, a company subordinated to the Iași Local Council, obtained paper coverage for the missing 542 tonnes of fuel.

Chronology of the fuel probe

The criminal investigation into the municipal heating system became public in December 2024, when prosecutors examined operations at Iași City Hall, Termo Service SA, CET Tudor, and CET Holboca. Investigators requisitioned technical and economic documentation covering district heating operations between 2021 and 2023, including job descriptions and employment contracts. Chirica gave testimony as a witness on 22 April before prosecutors, supported by gendarme units, executed searches across city hall offices on 27 May. On 21 September 2026, prosecutors questioned additional city staff, including Iași City Hall spokesperson Sebastian Buraga and legal adviser Alexandra Chirilă.