The former judge who convicted Sorin Oprescu, about the stake of reducing the punishment: “It is related to the conditional release. Instead of 8 years, it will do only 6”
The former judge Daniela Panioglu, who sentenced the former mayor of the Capital, Sorin Oprescu, to 10 years and 8 months in prison, argues that the reduction of the punishment by one year is not at all random, but has a direct connection to the possibility of conditional release.
Former mayor of the capital was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months of photo prison: Mediafax
“Stake reducing Sorin Oprescu's punishment From 10 years and 8 months in prison to 9 years and 8 months it is related to conditional release. Instead of 8 years, it will do only 6”, Declared the former judge Daniela Panioglu for g4media.ro.
According to article 100 of the Criminal Code, “The conditional release in the case of the prison can be ordered if the convicted person has executed at least two thirds of the sentence, in the case of prison that does not exceed 10 years, or at least three quarters of the sentence, but not more than 20 years, in the case of prison over 10 years”.
“He had to execute 8 years in prison, 6 years ago, 5 months and 10 days“, Explained Panioglu, adding that the court's decision represents”The first step taken to save the convicted defendant Sorin Oprescu“She commented ironically:”Easy, like the boiling frog to get used to”.
Penalty reduced one year after an enforcement challenge
On Thursday, October 9, the Bucharest Court of Appeal reduced the punishment of Sorin Oprescu from 10 years and 8 months to 9 years and 8 months of detention. The decision was made following an enforcement challenge formulated by the former mayor of the Capital.
The court considered that the crime of abuse in service by violating the secondary legislation was discriminated by by the Constitutional Court's decision no. 405/2016. Consequently, the Court of Appeal maintained the penalties for taking bribes, the establishment of an criminal group and money laundering, merging them in a total sentence of 9 years and 8 months.
The decision was pronounced by the judges Andreea Ionescu, Adina Adriana Radu and Andreea Florentina Pascaru.
The legal context and the course of the case
In June 2025, the Bucharest Court had rejected Oprescu's appeal, but he appealed. The court had argued that Law 200/2023, which amends the article on abuse in the service, was adopted precisely to put the Criminal Code in accordance with the 2016 CCR decision.
Even though the law entered into force one year after the conviction of Oprescu in 2022, it is based on that decision of the Constitutional Court, of which the courts should have taken into account. The court, however, stressed that the former mayor violated primary legislation (laws, ordinances), not secondary (regulations), as the defense supported.
Sorin Oprescu still in Greece
Sorin Oprescu is currently in Thessaloniki, in Greece, where he is under judicial control, waiting for a new decision of the Greek courts regarding his extradition to Romania.
Previously, the Greek justice refused to hand it over to the Romanian authorities, invoking the improper conditions in the penitentiaries in Romania.
In 2022, a complete consisting of judges Daniela Panioglu and Claudia Jderu, sentenced Sorin Oprescu to 10 years and 8 months of detention with execution for bribery, abuse of office, setting up an organized criminal group and money laundering.
