Three directors of Romanian state-owned armament plants detained by anti-corruption prosecutors on bribery charges

The detentions

Prosecutors from the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) detained three directors of state-owned armament plants overnight on 24 July 2026, accusing them of taking bribes. The three are Mihai Rafiu, director of Uzina Mecanică București (UMB) since 2017; Tiberiu Alexandru Pîrvu, director of Uzina Mecanică Plopeni (UMP) since 2023; and Liliana Sorescu, commercial director of UMP. A fourth person, described as a representative of private companies, was also taken into custody. The detentions followed searches conducted on Thursday at the Bucharest and Plopeni plants, as well as at two units in Cugir. The suspects are to be brought before the Bucharest Tribunal on Friday, where prosecutors will request preventive arrest. DNA has not issued an official statement on the case.

Rafiu, a graduate of the Polytechnic University of Bucharest with a master's in National Security Information Management, has spent his entire career at UMB, rising from mechanic in 1983 to director. Pîrvu began as a milling worker at Plopeni and later held commercial and general director roles.

The plants and their finances

Both UMB and UMP are subsidiaries of Romarm, the national defence holding. UMB assembles and modernises armoured vehicles, including the TR-85M1 tank and the Piranha V transporter built with General Dynamics Land Systems. UMP produces artillery and medium-calibre ammunition, pyrotechnic components and countermeasures. In 2025, UMB reported a turnover of 344 million lei (profit 12.5 million lei) with nearly 200 employees, while UMP posted 108.5 million lei in turnover (profit 10.6 million lei) and 410 employees. Both carry heavy debts to the state budget: 115.5 million lei at UMB and 72.6 million lei at UMP.

The Plopeni plant was previously touched by a corruption case in 2022, when a commercial director and a legal adviser were accused of influence peddling for allegedly receiving money and goods from a businessman in exchange for approving payments and maintaining commercial relations.

Romarm pushes back

Răzvan Pîrcălăbescu, the director of Romarm, told G4Media that the company had not been officially informed of the DNA action.

We support any action by state institutions. I want the defence industry to become a strong economic pole. I have not received any official position on this subject from anyone.

In a separate statement, Romarm went further, blaming the Ministry of Economy, Digitalisation, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MEDAT) for inaction. The company said it had repeatedly flagged deficiencies in its subsidiaries to the ministry and had drafted solutions that were discussed and agreed with the government and the presidential administration, then approved by Romarm's board and sent to MEDAT for final approval in April 2026.

To date, the Ministry of Economy has not taken any decision, nor do we know if it will.

Romarm warned that the asset-stripping process in its subsidiaries would continue unless the ministry launched the necessary steps to revive the defence industry. It assured partners that ongoing contracts and legitimate operational activity were unaffected.

Cugir searches

DNA also carried out searches at Uzina Mecanică Cugir and Fabrica de Arme Cugir, two other Romarm subsidiaries. Mircea Trifan, the director of the Cugir mechanical plant, confirmed that investigators visited both the unit and his home.

A DNA check, they took some documents. I am targeted because I am the director. It is about some purchases of electrical materials.

Next steps

The three directors are expected to appear before a judge at the Bucharest Tribunal later on 24 July. If the court accepts the prosecutors' request, they will be placed under preventive arrest. DNA has not yet publicly detailed the bribery allegations.