How the PNL Prefect of Prahova explains when asked by HotNews that the mandate of Mayor Oprea from Sinaia, party colleague, detained by DNA in the “Carpathian Castle” case did not end: “The law is interpreted”

The PNL prefect of Prahova is accused by several AUR and PSD councilors of not respecting the law when he did not verify the termination of the mayoral mandate of his party colleague, the mayor of Sinaia. What the politician said, called by HotNews.

The Administrative Code says that if a mayor cannot exercise his mandate for a period longer than six months – a situation in which mayor Vlad Oprea found himself after he was under preventive arrest, then at home – then he loses his position. Mayor Oprea of ​​Sinaia was the subject of a Recorder investigation, entitled “The Castle of the Carpathians”, before the judiciary began investigating the liberal politician.

Contacted by HotNews, prefect Daniel Nicodim defends himself and says that he consulted with several lawyers before making the decision not to issue the said order.

Local councilors Emil Florentin Nenciu (AUR), Călin Ștefan Miloș (PSD) and Georgini Pavel (PSD) asked the Prefecture to take into account the law and withdraw the mayor's mandate from the liberal Vlad Oprea, arguing with article 160, paragraph 1, point g, of the Administrative Code:

“(1) The mandate of the mayor ends, by right, in the following cases:

• g) Impossibility of exercising the function due to a serious, certified illness, or of other well-founded reasons, which do not allow the activity to be carried out in good conditions for 6 months, during a calendar year“.

The local councilors also filed a criminal complaint for the refusal of prefect Daniel Nicodim.

In this context, the mayor of the Sinaia resort, Vlad Oprea, and the prefect of Prahova were summoned, last week, to hearings at the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Ploiești Court of Appeal in a case related to the fact that the prefect did not release the mayor from his position after the completion of the six months of non-exercising this capacity, according to judicial sources cited by Agerpres.

And the secretariat of the Sinaia City Hall requested an order for the termination of Oprea's mandate

The request was sent to the Prefect of Prahova County, Daniel Nicodim, and by the secretariat of Sinaia City Hall, on July 24, 2025, according to documents consulted by HotNews.

“I submit the report on the fulfillment of the conditions that determine the legal termination of the mandate of the Mayor of the city of Sinaia, Prahova county, Mr. Vlad-Gheorghe Oprea,” the document states.

And the secretariat of the Sinaia City Hall relied on the same article of the law when it sent the request to the Prahova Prefecture. In addition, the institution added:

• “In all cases of premature termination of the mayor's mandate, the prefect issues an order stating the termination of the mayor's mandate. The order is based on a report signed by the general secretary of the administrative-territorial unit/subdivision, as well as the documents from which the legal reason for the termination of the mandate results”, according to the law, which the secretariat of the Sinaia City Hall cites in the address to the Prefecture.

Sinaia City Hall confirms: Mayor Vlad Oprea could not exercise his duties as mayor for more than six months

The Secretariat of Sinaia City Hall specified in the address of July 24 that Mayor Vlad Oprea could no longer exercise his duties as mayor from January 23, 2025, due to the bans imposed by the DNA.

“Considering what has been presented, it can be seen that starting from January 23, 2025, the Mayor of the City of Sinaia, Mr. Vlad-Gheorghe Oprea, was unable to exercise his position due to the reasons presented (…), which did not allow him to carry out his activity for 6 months, during a calendar year”, according to the secretariat of the Sinaia City Hall.

Vlad Oprea resumed his duties as mayor in October of this year, after he escaped house arrest due to an error made by the DNA.

The prefect of Prahova county: “I also asked for a point of view from the Ministry of Development”

The Prefect of Prahova County, Daniel Nicodim, says that he analyzed the situation of Mayor Vlad Oprea “at length”, including with the Prefecture's lawyers.

“I also asked for a point of view from the issuer of the Administrative Code (ed.: Ministry of Development), because they (ed.: local councilors) refer to the Administrative Code in their approach. This was my decision and obviously I will justify it. Now, today, being also a criminal complaint in this sense, I reserve the right to clarify this matter in which I believe that I have proceeded absolutely correctly, legally, with the judiciary, after which we will detail it”, he said, in a statement to HotNews, the Prefect of Prahova County.

The three local councilors reported the situation including to Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, the General Secretariat of the Government and the Minister of the Interior, Cătălin Predoiu, according to documents consulted by HotNews.

The Prefect of Prahova says, however, that he did not discuss this situation with Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.

“Things are not quite like that and the law is interpreted”

“They (n. ed.: the local councilors who made the complaint) say that the prefect is a kind of notary who certifies any petition or any request. Things are not quite like that and the law is interpreted, the law is discussed, interpreted the way I did it, absolutely legally, that's my belief,” said the prefect of Prahova county.

Daniel Nicodim did not want to go into “details” when asked what was the position he received from the Ministry of Development. Instead, the Minister of Development, Cseke Attila, explained to HotNews what the request from Prahova Prefecture consisted of.

“It was a request from a point of view in July 2025, formulated of a general nature, without referring to the situation of a specific mayor, nor the administrative-territorial unit concerned not being mentioned. The answer was given within the legal term, which obviously does not generate a legal basis, the application of the law in one way or another in the case invoked by you being the attribute of the Prefect's Institution”, said, contacted by HotNews, the Minister of Development, Cseke Attila.

As for the secretariat of the Sinaia City Hall, which also requested that the prefect give the order to terminate the mandate for Vlad Oprea, the prefect of Prahova County said that “this is the procedure”.

“I think they didn't have all the data when they came to me with the request,” Daniel Nicodim also told HotNews.

Oprea, prosecuted in a corruption case: He was pre-arrested by the DNA, then placed under house arrest

The mayor of Sinaia, Vlad Oprea, is being prosecuted in a corruption case in which he was accused of asking for money for the preparation of a zonal urban plan at the town hall level. He is accused of taking bribes, financial operations incompatible with the position, abuse of office, falsification of wealth declarations, money laundering.

Oprea is suspected by the DNA of having requested from Vladimir Ciorbă (one of the owners of Nordis) and received, indirectly, from the representatives of the company SC Nordis Best Construct, almost 240,000 euros in bribes to facilitate obtaining the necessary documentation for the construction of a hotel / aparthotel in the city, say judicial sources cited by Agerpres. Oprea PNL has been mayor of Sinaia for over 20 years.

Oprea was initially placed under judicial control for three months, but the measure was changed to preventive detention after he was caught meeting twice with the deputy mayor, thus violating the conditions imposed by the investigators.

After two months of preventive arrest, he was placed under house arrest, where he stayed for another three months.