How many convicted murderers received permits in 2025. What the ANP says, after the case of the Turkish businessman convicted of murder, who did not return to prison after being released
Rahova Penitentiary, Photo: Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea
The National Administration of Penitentiaries states that more than 400 people convicted of murder or attempted murder were rewarded with a leave of 24 hours or longer last year. The situations in which the prisoners did not return to the penitentiary were very rare.
ANP asked the Directorate of Penitentiary Inspection to make preliminary checks at Rahova penitentiary regarding the conditions under which Atas Abdullah, a Turkish businessman convicted of murder, was rewarded with a four-day leave. The ANP also asked the Minister of Justice to send the MJ's control body for additional checks.
The administration specifies that, in 2025, a number of 442 prisoners convicted of murder/qualified murder/attempted murder/attempted qualified murder were rewarded with permission to leave the penitentiary for 1 day, they benefited from 832 rewards with this object.
Only three escapes in the last two years
Permission to leave the penitentiary for a period of more than 24 hours was granted to 162 people convicted of the mentioned crimes.
“Regarding the situation of prisoners who did not present themselves after the permission to leave the penitentiary, at the expiration of the 24 hours for which it was granted, at the level of the units subordinated to the National Administration of Penitentiaries, 2 such situations were recorded in the year 2024, respectively 1 situation in the year 2025. We specify the fact that in the period 2024 – 2025, no situations were recorded in which persons deprived of liberty were not be presented from the permission to leave the penitentiary granted for a period longer than 24 hours”, stated the ANP.
If the number of rewards for all prisoners, regardless of the crime committed, is taken into account, the number of one-day furloughs in 2025 was granted to 4,259 prisoners, and 1,140 received longer furloughs.
The Penitentiary Administration mentions that the reward proposals are analyzed by a committee that includes the director of the unit, the deputy director for security of detention and prison regime and the deputy director for education and psychosocial assistance.
“The nature of the crime committed does not represent a unique condition on the basis of which to assess the granting or non-granting of the reward with the permission to leave the penitentiary, the main elements analyzed being represented by the constant positive conduct of the detainee in detention, the interest in work and educational activities and psychosocial assistance, the type of rewards previously obtained, as well as the period served, compared to the length of the sentence that still needs to be served until the analysis in the parole commission” the ANP press release also says.
Why had the Turkish citizen convicted of murder, who escaped, been allowed on leave. Rahova Penitentiary's explanations
How many rewards did the fugitive from Rahova receive?
Atas Abdullah is wanted nationally, after he escaped from Rahova Penitentiary. He benefited from permission between January 23-26, 2026, but he did not return to prison, the Rahova Penitentiary alerted the Police. The man was searched at home, in the town of Voluntari, without being found.
The Turkish citizen was serving 22 years and 10 months in prison for murder at the Rahova Penitentiary, after in 2015 he killed a policeman from the Road Brigade who tried to stop him for a check.
HotNews contacted the representatives of the Rahova Penitentiary to find out what were the conditions under which the man was granted the permits, considering the act for which he was convicted.
Asked to explain the policy by which permits are granted to prisoners, Georgiana Ivănescu, spokeswoman for the Rahova Penitentiary, explained that they are granted “depending on the behavior of the prisoner”.
“And depending on the credits he has. (Atas Abdullah) was a prisoner with a very good conduct, he was also at the Nottara Theater, he was in plays, he had countless outings in the community, he also previously had permission to leave the penitentiary,” Georgiana Ivănescu, spokeswoman for the Rahova Penitentiary, told HotNews.
In the period after the final conviction, the Turkish citizen had, so far, 24 permits and 72 rewards, the spokeswoman of the penitentiary also said.
