Cristin Ghemu, a prosecutor with the Hancesti District Prosecutor’s Office, has been suspended from office by the Superior Council of Prosecutors (CSP) at the request of Prosecutor General Alexandru Machidon. According to IPN, Ghemu is under investigation in the case involving an alleged $400,000 bribe.
The decision was adopted during the CSP meeting held on July 23. According to the Council’s chairman, Dumitru Obada, the suspension took effect on July 17 and will remain in force until a final ruling is issued in the criminal case against the prosecutor.
Nine members of the Superior Council of Prosecutors voted in favor of the suspension, while Elena Rosior voted against. The CSP’s decision may be appealed to the Supreme Court of Justice within 10 days.
Ghemu is being investigated on suspicion of passive bribery. Investigators allege that he was involved in demanding $400,000 in exchange for resolving a criminal case involving money laundering. In early April, the Hancesti prosecutor and one of the police officers detained in the same case were placed in pretrial detention.
Prosecutors also accuse Cristin Ghemu of receiving two cryptocurrency transfers totaling $55,000. He was detained based on statements provided by Daniel Plugaru, the son of former prosecutor Victor Plugaru. Daniel Plugaru made the statements two days after he had been detained at the border in a separate case in which he was accused of influence peddling.