Three public notaries are under criminal investigation by the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in a case involving the illegal issuance of inheritance certificates. Additionally, four individuals have been detained for 24 hours.
Prosecutors have determined that 9 inheritance certificates were illegally issued, based on which 9 apartments in Bucharest were sold for over 500,000 euros.
The three notaries facing criminal charges are:
- Simona Lidia Seceleanu, for committing the offenses of abuse of office, if the public official has obtained for themselves or for another undue advantage, in a continuous form, and intellectual forgery in a continuous form,
- Mariana Dumitru and Crin Doru Trifoi, for committing the offenses of abuse of office, if the public official has obtained for themselves or for another undue advantage, and intellectual forgery.
"This case concerns the illegal issuance, by notary offices, between 2021-2022, of certain inheritance certificates, as well as other documents falsely attesting ownership rights over properties located in the city of Bucharest and Ilfov County, properties that were unclaimed or belonged to individuals without heirs. After obtaining these documents, the properties were sold at market price," DNA stated in a press release on Thursday.
According to prosecutors, public notaries Seceleanu Lidia Simona, Dumitru Mariana, and Trifoi Doru Crin, instigated and aided by the other 4 defendants and other individuals, allegedly illegally issued 9 inheritance certificates falsely attesting that the beneficiaries were the sole heirs of apartments in Bucharest.
"These apartments obtained through this method were traded on the real estate market, with the defendants illegally obtaining over 560,000 euros," DNA stated.
The individuals detained will be brought before the Bucharest Tribunal with a proposal for 30 days of pre-trial detention.