The duties of the president of the National Authority for Consumer Protection will be taken over by one of the ANPC vice -presidents, Ionel Obretin, the government spokesman for Hotnews said. He took over the management of the institution from the other vice-president, Sebastian Hotca, who exercised the head of ANPC as an interim, after the dismissal of Cristian Popescu-Piedone.
“The prime minister has signed today the decision by which the duties of ANPC president will be taken over by Mr. Vice President Ionel Obretin. Mr. Hotca remains vice president,” said Ioana Ene Dogioiu for Hotnews.
The announcement of Obretin's appointment occurs on the same day when the Bucharest Court of Appeal decided to eliminate between the conditions of judicial control the prohibition that Sebastian Hotca to exercise his position as president of the ANPC. Following the decision of Prime Minister Bolojan, Hotca will return to the position of vice president, and Obretin will exercise the interim position of president.
Failed candidates at the City Hall and Parliament
Ionel Cristinel Obretin does not have the CV published on the ANPC website, although he has been appointed as vice-president since May this year.
Obretin is a member of the county organization in Olt of the PNL, led by the deputy Gigel Sorinel Ştirbu. In 2020 he ran for the position of mayor of his native commune, Bucinișu, and in the parliamentary elections of 2024 he was on the PNL list in Olt County for the Chamber of Deputies.
According to his statements made in 2020 for Ziarul de Olt, Obretin worked for 25 years in the Ministry of Interior, entering in reserve in 2017.
“I also graduated from the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Bucharest, but also the one-year post-university course, on international relations within the” Alexandru Ioan Cuza “Police Academy, as well as a master graduate within the same academy. Last but not least, I am a doctoral student in the third year at the Doctoral School “Academician Radu Voinea” in Craiova within the Faculty of Mechanics. Currently, I am an entrepreneur in Bucinişu commune ”, said Obretin.
The declaration of wealth submitted by him to take over the position of vice -president of the ANPC shows that Obretin is the owner, together with the wife, an apartment and a house in the city of Caracal. He also bought almost one hectare of urban land in Bucunișu, a common in which he was also a local councilor. In the family heritage there is also a Volkswagen Touareg and a Dacia Logan.
Obretin has 142,000 lei in a bank account, but family finances are encumbered by two credits of 93,000 euros, respectively 291,000 lei. In 2024, apart from the allowance of local councilor, Ionel Obretin had revenues of 84,600 lei, as a pension received from the Ministry of Interior.
Obretin replaces another interim
The announcement of Obretin's appointment occurs on the same day when the Bucharest Court of Appeal decided to eliminate between the conditions of judicial control the prohibition that Sebastian Hotca to exercise his position as president of the ANPC. Following the decision of Prime Minister Bolojan, Hotca will return to the position of vice president, and Obretin will exercise the interim position of president.
ANPC chiefs, researching for corruption, can return to work by court's decision/ reaction
The interim chief of the National Authority for Consumer Protection, Sebastan Ioan Hotca, accused of abuse in the service, and the general director of ANPC Paul Anghel, accused of blackmail, are investigated in the open criminal case against a secretary of state in the Ministry of Economy, Flavius Nedelcea, for instigating the abuse in the service if the official for another form, if the official for another. The criminal action against Nedelcea and the two heads of ANPC started on September 19.
According to the investigators, between October 2024-January 2025, Hotca Sebastian Ioan, at the instigation of Nedelcea Constantin Flavius, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Economy, in the exercise of the duties of service, would have ordered the temporary move of the injured person from the management position held at the county commissioner, Violation of the provisions of art. 507 para. 8 of GEO no. 57/2019 which stipulate that the temporary move is done only in the interest of the institution.
Pressures on an employee of the authority
“Although he had held the position of deputy chief commissioner of the County Commissioner for the protection of Caraş – Severin protection since 2014, the injured person Vic would have been moved for a period of two months (02.10 – 29.11.2024), one month (02.12.2024 – 31.12.2024), six months (09.01.2025) From the respective management position on a position of head of service within the ANPC. Mrs.
On August 29, 2024, Paul Anghel, as general director of the General Directorate of Market Control and Surveillance within the ANPC, with the support of another person within the institution, would have exercised on the injured person VIC acts of moral constraint, through threats, intimidation and pressures for him to renounce the position held in the child.
“Subsequently, on September 08, 2025, the defendant Nedelcea Constantin Flavius, who would have decided to collaborate with the criminal prosecution bodies to find out the whole truth in question, would have warned one of the possible participants, in order to make the investigations difficult,” the investigators reported.
