How a Romanian tried to hunt down the fortune of the Bădărău boyars with a will “apostilled” in New York. Dozens of hectares targeted in the Copou area of Iasi
A man from Gorj was sent to court after allegedly claiming dozens of hectares of land in Iasi based on a will that prosecutors claim is forged. The document would have been presented as having been drawn up in the United States and “apostilled” in New York, in the name of a descendant of an old noble family from Moldova, according to ProTV News.
Copou Park. PHOTO FB Copou Park – Copou Garden – Iasi
The defendant, Dumitru Contoloru, a businessman from Gorj, claims that he was designated the sole heir of Constantin Daniels, a descendant of the Bădărău family – one of the wealthiest families in Moldova at the beginning of the 20th century. Daniels would have emigrated in the 70s to the United States, where he lived modestly, working as a taxi driver in New York, and would have died of a heart attack while driving.
The businessman claims that a close friendship was formed between the two, and Daniels bequeathed him the lands confiscated by the communist regime, including important areas in the Copou area.
Forensic expertise indicated the forgery of the will
The Iași Intercounty Forensic Expertise Laboratory analyzed the document, and the conclusions were included in the indictment of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Iași Court of Appeal. Prosecutors state that “the will dated 05.17.99 and allegedly signed by Constantin Daniels was falsified in order to obtain the assets belonging to him and his predecessors toi.”
The investigation started after Contoloru sued other heirs of the Bădărău family, contesting their rights to the lands.
Investigations in the USA
Representatives of other heirs say they checked the authenticity of the document in the United States and discovered major irregularities.
“The notary appearing on the will was never authorized there. The second notary, appearing seven years apart, never served the willl” says Lucian Ailenei, legal representative of some heirs.
Contoloru denies the allegations
The accused man rejects the conclusions of the prosecutors and claims that the will is authentic.
“It is apostilled in America under legal conditions. We are waiting for the court's decision. We are in the preliminary chamber and have requested the return of the file to Parchet”, declared Dumitru Contoloru, according to the cited source. i.
The state is trying to recover illegally assigned lands
Iași City Hall confirms that there have been several disputes between the heirs and that some heir certificates have already been canceled in court.
“The national authority is trying to recover the illegally assigned landsl”, says Denisa Ionașcu, general secretary of the Iași City Hall.
The areas claimed – vineyards, orchards, pastures and forests – total tens of hectares and are valued at more than 50 million euros, which explains the intensity of the legal dispute.
