Head of Romanian Border Police replaced after convicted mayor flees country

11 months ago 36

Romania’s Interior Ministry announced the dismissal of Border Police chief Victor Ștefan Ivașcu and the appointment of a new head of the Maramureș County Police Inspectorate after Baia Mare Mayor Cătălin Cherecheș fled the country hours before a court sentenced him.

The Minister’s Control Body will carry out controls at the Sighetul Marmatiei Territorial Inspectorate of the Border Police, including the Petea border crossing point with Hungary.

The mayor fled on a Friday, hours before he was due to be sentenced to five years in prison for bribery. As he left in a taxi, he showed the border police his cousin’s identity card.

Before his release, Ivașcu argued that the images taken at the border crossing were not sufficient to establish the identity of those crossing the border definitively.

He could not explain how the border guard had confused Cherecheș with his cousin, who lives in Germany. Photographs published by local media show a marked difference in appearance between the two. The Border Guard insisted that there was a physical resemblance but stressed that this did not excuse the officer’s failure to recognise the discrepancy in the identity document presented.

The Interior Ministry is examining how the police officer conducted the check and has launched an ongoing investigation.

According to police sources, the mayor is believed to have fled to Italy. Cherecheș joins a list of notable figures who have fled the country after being convicted.

In May 2023, former finance minister Darius Vâlcov was sentenced to six years in prison but fled to Italy. He was extradited in August.

Other high-profile convicts, including Alina Bica, former head of DIICOT, and Sorin Oprescu, former mayor of Bucharest, remain in other EU member states.

(Cătălina Mihai | Euractiv.ro)