INVESTIGATION. How he built an online empire of the prostitution that founded Nuba Mamaia and was the honorary consul of Serbia in Romania / the files closed by justice in Romania

Swiss citizen David Avzato, 47, played in Romania two roles: a worldly character who paid 47,000 euros for a champagne and the shadow leader of a global prostitution network. He ran huge amounts through one of the largest payments in Europe, Worldline, but also through a company authorized by the NBR, reveals snoop.ro in the “Dirty Payments/ Payments” investigation, journalistic investigation in collaboration with 21 media institutions in the world.

• Snoop reveals, in an international investigation coordinated by Mediapart and European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) and carried out by 21 media institutions, such as David Azzato managed to build and operate for two decades an online empire of prostitution, targeting markets in Europe and the US.
• From this period, for 10 years David Azzato and his brother, Lukas, have led more businesses in Romania. The best known, the Nuba Mamaia club. But the most important was Capital Financial Services (CFS), the first company authorized by the NBR to issue electronic currency. Avzato used the company as a legal screen to process payments on behalf of adult sites and prostitution.
• Only in 2023, his companies processed over 31 million euros through Worldline, the French giant of online payments that collapsed on the stock exchange by 40%, writes Wall Street Journal, after publishing the first part of the journalistic investigation of which the non -profit editorial in Romania Snoop is.
• You can support the independent investigation work of the Nonprofit Snoop editorial in Romania, either through recurrent donations, or by redirecting tax, or by other methods. You can do it here.

According to confidential documents of the French Payment Group, obtained by journalists, Capital Financial Services (CFS), authorized by the NBR, acted as an intermediary between Worldline and several prostitution sites controlled by David Azzato, an Swiss businessman who had several businesses in Romania.

David Azzato's brother between 2016 and until 2022 was also in the shareholder of Capital Financial Services.

Data from 2023 from Worldline shows that four companies controlled by David Azzato, who owned prostitution sites, received payments totaling almost 4.8 million euros through the CFS, as an agent. Capital Financial Services was, in 2013, the first Romanian company authorized by the NBR to issue electronic currency.

Moreover, CFS used as a TWISPay pay processing platform, a company that belonged to it between 2015 and 2020 itself to David Azzato.

What did the NBR respond

Contacted by SNOOOOOOOP journalists, the National Bank has been summarized in transmitting that shareholders' assessments have always been done respecting the legislation in force.

The NBR refused to answer the point questions asked by SNOOOP regarding the process of verifying and authorizing the shareholders of Capital Financial Services since 2016.

“We mention that at the time of authorization, in the shareholding structure of Capital Financial Services, any of the persons indicated in your message was found. Given that the time period indicated in the request is aimed at data from 2015, the BNR does not have relevant data and information to provide a point of view,” the bank told us.

According to the law and the regulation of the BNR, the institution has the duty to continuously monitor the activity of the companies to which it has given authorization and to intervene if irregularities are found.

Fall 40% on the stock exchange in one day

Worldline shares, a company that guarantees the security of online payments, decreased on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, by 40%, the company losing $ 400 million in the value of SAL, after the investigation of the 21 international publications, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Worldline is an important player in the European economy, with digital transactions of 500 billion euros every year.

The first article in the “Dirty Payments” investigation series reveals how, for 10 years, the French payments giant has facilitated billions of euros for online commerce customers, including prostitution sites with women and illegal casinos.

In an official statement, the company did not deny the accusations. He stressed, however, that, starting in 2023, he has made a “thorough review” of the high risk client portfolio. He also stated that he maintains a “zero tolerance” policy against non -observance of the regulations and that he has a constant dialogue with the regulatory authorities.

Avzato moved to Romania in 2014 and co-founded Nuba Mamaia in 2017

After in 2011-2012 he was convicted in France for pimping and investigated in Italy under the same suspicion, David Azzato moved his residence from Switzerland to Romania.

In the autumn of 2017, David Azzato, through a company from Dubai (Deinde Consulting DWC-LLC), and Jean Sasu, along with two other associates, set up the company ISNA Entertainment Mamaia SRL, which manages the club Nuba Mamaia, according to the documents in the Official Gazette.

Opened in 2018, the club on the Black Sea coast benefited from an investment of 2 million euros, wrote economics at that time.

In October 2020, David Azzato's place as an administrator of the company in Dubai is taken by his brother, Lukas, 44 years old. He quickly came out of the shareholding of the company that founded Nuba Mamaia, in January 2021, when she gave up her parties to Raluca Avram-Danifeld, a central figure in the business architecture of the Azzato brothers, as Snoop.ro shows.

Called the Honor Consul of Serbia in Pitești

In September 2019, Wall Street Journal (WSJ) revealed that David Azzato is investigated in the US, being suspected of being behind some of the largest advertisement sites for prostitution operating on the US market under Swiss fields.

According to the article, the authorities investigated to what extent the platforms facilitated the trafficking of persons, prostitution and money laundering.

In Romania, only a year ago, in December 2018, David Azzato was called the honorary consul of Serbia in Pitesti, where a headquarters opens on this occasion. About the activity of the Swiss as a diplomat there is no public information.

But the period in which the interests of Serbia in Romania was marked by a notable incident. One night in January 2020, he was detained by the Road Police in Bucharest, after refusing to stop at the signal of the agents and, later, hit a car of the Road Brigade, injuring a policeman, according to the observer.

Avzato, who was driving a car registered in Switzerland and was accompanied by three other Swiss passengers, came positively to the alcohol test. At that time, police sources told ProTV news that the prosecutors of the Prosecutor's Office have opened a criminal case in REM (they were following the deed, not the person) for bodily injury.

Snoop asked what happened to the file and if Azzato was sanctioned because he led under the influence of alcohol. The Capital Police said that the requested information is not of public interest – they are considered personal data.

However, the Prosecutor's Office attached to the District 1 Court informed us that the file was classified on the grounds that the deed is not provided by the criminal law.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed for the quoted source that it decided to stop the collaboration with David Azzato in April 2020, after “the road incident and to open a criminal case on his behalf.” But he refused to provide other details about his appointment and activity as a diplomat.

Suspected in Romania by trafficking in persons – classified file

Also in 2020 the Romanian authorities also ranked a file in which both brothers were targeted. According to the information obtained by SNOOOop from judicial sources, together with French, Slovak and Swiss citizens, David and Lukas Azzato were investigated by DIICOT prosecutors for suspicions of pimping and participation in an organized crime group.

“There were information that they were trafficking in people in Romania, but also in Europe through sites,” say judicial sources.

In a response to Snoop, DIICOT confirmed the existence of a criminal prosecution that took place in REM. The Directorate stated that the file was classified by an ordinance given in March 2020, the reason being that “the investigations carried out resulted that the perpetrators were investigated and held criminal by the French judicial authorities”.

Documents consulted by Snoop and reporters of other publications show how Azzato managed to build an online empire of prostitution.

Read the entire investigation on snoop.ro.