The accusations that DNA brings to the head of the Sălaj County Council, Dinu Iancu-Sălăjanu

The well-known folk music singer Dinu Iancu-Sălăjanu, president of the Sălaj County Council and of the PNL county organization, is accused of abuse of office for assigning express road works, DNA announced.

According to the DNA, in this file the following were placed under judicial control for 60 days:

• Dinu Iancu-Sălăjanu, president of the Sălaj County Council, for two offenses of abuse of office, if the civil servant obtained, for himself or for another, an undue benefit,
• Ioana Lavinia Ghilea, executive director of the Directorate of Investments and Public Programs (DIPP) within the Sălaj County Council, for taking bribes in a continuous form,
• Mate Jozsef, head of the Administrative Service within the Heritage Department of the Sălaj County Council, for taking bribes and complicity in giving bribes in continuous form.

Also, the de facto representative of the companies SC Frasinul SRL and SC Transilvania Grand Construct SRL (suspects in the case) are also being prosecuted for bribery, and another representative of some companies, also for bribery.

The accusations that the DNA brings to Dinu Iancu-Sălăjanu

The prosecutors say that on September 20, 2024 and July 2, 2025, Dinu Iancu-Sălăjanu issued two provisions by which he would have completed the bid evaluation commission with four experts, in a procedure for awarding a service contract for the development of technical documentation related to the realization of express road works. The four experts would have been co-opted into the bid evaluation committee even though they would have been in a conflict of interest, in the sense that they would have been interposed by one of the bidding companies, a fact likely to affect the correctness of the procedure for awarding the works contract.

Previously, on October 18, 2022, Dinu Iancu-Sălăjan would have issued a provision by which he would have completed another evaluation committee with two experts, in a procedure for awarding a service contract regarding the preparation of technical documentation and the provision of technical assistance for investment works at a hospital, a situation that would also have been likely to influence the award of the contract.

“As a result of the awarding of the two contracts to the favored company, under the conditions described, there would have been damage to the Sălaj County Council, estimated at 75,000 lei, as well as the damage to the legitimate interests of the other participants in the public procurement procedures,” says DNA.

Regarding Ioana Lavinia Ghilea, executive director of the Directorate of Investments and Public Programs (DIPP) within the Sălaj County Council, the accusations are that on August 5, 2025 he received a bribe of at least 5,000 euros from the representative of the companies SC Frasinul SRL and SC Transilvania Grand Construct SRL Ghilea. He was responsible for preparing the conclusion of contracts for works and services, as well as verifying the manner of their execution. The amount would have been offered to favor the two companies, which were running contracts or participating in public procurement procedures organized by the Sălaj County Council. Also, on November 22, 2024 and between August and September 2025, Ghile would have benefited from renovation works of the office and personal apartment, from the other representative of the companies.

“In exchange for these benefits, the defendant would have sought to favor an association of companies represented by him, by issuing the order to start some works with delay, making available some documents from the public procurement procedure, as well as providing advice on the issues reported by the representatives of the association. The remittance of these benefits would have been facilitated by the defendant Mate Jozsef.

On August 26, 2025, the defendant Mate Jozsef, in the previously mentioned capacity, having duties regarding the establishment of the necessary renovation and repair works for the buildings within the Sălaj County Council, allegedly claimed, in connection with the exercise of these duties, from the defendant Ghilea Ioana Lavinia, executive director of the DIPP within the same institution, construction materials intended for the development of a space in his property. The materials would have been obtained by the defendant from commercial companies in contractual relations with the Sălaj County Council”, say the prosecutors.

PNL Sălaj announced on Thursday that Dinu Iancu-Sălăjanu decided to suspend himself from the position of president of the party's county branch during the ongoing legal proceedings.