An AUR parliamentary adviser escapes a conviction for corruption by canceling the evidence in the file
The Bucharest Court of Appeal canceled, on Thursday, the conviction for influence peddling received at the trial court by Bogdan Crefelean, former chief of staff of AUR deputy Gianina Şerban, based on a decision of the Supreme Court which established that police officers from the General Anticorruption Directorate (DGA) can no longer investigate civil servants or dignitaries, informs Agerpres.
In July 2025, Bogdan Crefelean received a one-year and three-month suspended prison sentence at the Ilfov Court for influence peddling.
The investigation in his case was carried out by the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Bucharest Court and police officers from the DGA.
DGA, removed from criminal investigations
Also in 2025, a panel of the Supreme Court gave a decision by which it was established that the judicial police workers of the General Anti-Corruption Directorate can no longer carry out, by delegation from the Prosecutor's Office, criminal investigations in cases targeting civil servants or politicians, except in cases where employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, such as policemen, gendarmes or firefighters, are involved.
Based on this decision of the ICCJ, Bogdan Crefelean appealed the sentence to the Bucharest Court of Appeal, the court which annulled on Thursday all the documents from the file (the minutes recording the arrest of Crefelean in the act when he received 1,500 lei for influence peddling, audio-video recordings, photographs, statements given by witnesses and whistleblowers, surveillance measures), the magistrates citing the fact that they were drawn up by the police from the DGA.
“Admits the appeal declared by the appellant-defendant Crefelean Bogdan. Abolishes, in its entirety, the appealed criminal sentence and, on the merits, rejudging: Based on art. 281 paragraph 1 letter b1 of the Criminal Code in relation to article 102 paragraphs 2 – 4 of the Criminal Code with reference to the decision no. 8/16.06.2025 pronounced by the High Court of Cassation and Justice – The panel for the resolution of the appeal in the interest of the law and the decision no. 802/05.12.2017 issued by the Constitutional Court, admits the exception of absolute nullity invoked by the appellant-defendant and, consequently, finds the absolute nullity of the following criminal prosecution documents and means of evidence, ordering their exclusion from the category of means of evidence”, the decision of the Bucharest Court of Appeal states.
As there was no evidence left in the file, the judges decided to acquit the former AUR adviser on the grounds that “the fact does not exist”.
Bribe for a trip to Brussels
Bogdan Crefelean, former chief of staff of AUR deputy Gianina Şerban, was caught red-handed by the DGA in October 2023, when he was receiving 1,500 lei for influence peddling.
He was denounced by another AUR member, who complained that Bogdan Crefelean had asked him for money to help him attend a congress in Brussels.
“On 22.10.2023, the defendant, an adviser to the parliamentary office of a deputy, demanded the sum of 1,500 lei from a witness, a member of a political party, to put him on the list of participants in a congress that was to take place in Brussels and to intervene with members of the central structure of the party in order to ensure his participation in the respective congress, and on 23.10.2023, around at 18:20, while he was in front of his residence in Bragadiru, the defendant was caught in the act while receiving the alleged amount of money”, announced, at that time, the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Bucharest Court.
After the councilor was caught red-handed, AUR announced that it had expelled Bogdan Crefelean from the party.
