Bucharest's National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) raided the offices of Robert Negoiță, mayor of Sector 3, on Wednesday morning, marking another chapter in Romania's ongoing battle against political corruption at the municipal level.
Prosecutors allege that Negoiță abused his office by using public funds to construct a road benefiting his brother, a real estate developer. DNA investigators searched both the mayor's residence and Sector 3 City Hall before bringing Negoiță in for questioning at DNA headquarters.
The allegations center on a municipal infrastructure project that prosecutors claim was designed to serve private interests rather than public benefit. The road in question was built using the municipal budget, but investigators believe the primary beneficiary was the mayor's brother, whose real estate development would gain direct access to the newly constructed infrastructure.
For Romania, a country that joined the EU in 2007 with a commitment to combat endemic corruption, the case represents both progress and persistent challenges. The DNA, established in 2002 and strengthened following EU accession, has prosecuted numerous high-profile politicians and businesspeople over the past two decades. Yet corruption remains deeply embedded in Romanian politics, particularly at the local level where public contracts and urban development create opportunities for graft.
Sector 3, one of Bucharest's six administrative districts, has been under Negoiță's leadership since 2012. The sector encompasses both residential neighborhoods and commercial zones, making infrastructure decisions particularly valuable for real estate developers.
The raid comes at a sensitive moment for Romania. The country continues pushing for full Schengen Area membership, which has been delayed partly due to concerns about judicial independence and anti-corruption efforts. Brussels has consistently emphasized that Romania must maintain strong anti-corruption institutions as a condition for deeper European integration.
"In Romania, as across Eastern Europe, the transition is not over—it's ongoing," noted observers familiar with the country's post-communist trajectory. While the DNA's continued activity demonstrates institutional resilience, the steady stream of corruption cases involving elected officials shows how far the country still has to travel.
The investigation follows established patterns in Romanian municipal corruption, where public infrastructure projects serve as vehicles for directing state resources to politically connected businesses. Family relationships between elected officials and private contractors have proven particularly difficult to prosecute, as defenders often claim coincidence rather than coordination.
Negoiță has not yet issued a formal public response to the allegations. The investigation remains ongoing, and prosecutors have not announced whether formal charges will be filed. Under Romanian law, abuse of office charges can carry sentences of up to ten years in prison if prosecutors prove officials acted specifically to benefit private interests rather than the public good.
The DNA's action in Bucharest reflects the agency's continued willingness to target sitting elected officials, a crucial test of judicial independence in a region where political interference in prosecutions remains common. Whether the investigation leads to conviction or joins the list of inconclusive cases that have plagued Romanian anti-corruption efforts will help define the DNA's credibility heading into Romania's next electoral cycle.
