EXCLUSIVE The official who organises elections in Romania, Constantin Mitulețu, is the subject of a criminal complaint by National Integrity Agency (ANI) for having employed his sister-in-law in the institution. Mitulețu: I’m not resigning, there’s no conflict of interest

A National Integrity Agency (ANI) evaluation report accuses Constantin Mitulețu-Buică, president of the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) of criminal conflict of interest, according to G4Media information confirmed by the head of the AEP. The complaint was filed by a former AEP director, who was himself dismissed by Mitulețu Buică. The head of AEP, the man who organizes elections in Romania, told G4Media that „there is no conflict of interest, I will not resign”.

Cristian Petraru, former head of the technical department at the Central Electoral Office director in the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) until 2019, filed a complaint with ANI in August 2021 indicating that the AEP president had appointed his sister-in-law, his wife’s sister, to a position in the institution.

Petraru received from ANI in December 2022, after almost a year and a half, an address in which he informed that in the file left from his complaint, an „evaluation report was drawn up through which elements of a violation of the legal regime of conflicts of interest in criminal matters were identified”, according to Cristian Petraru’s statement to G4Media.

Constantin Mitulețu-Buică confirmed for G4Media the receipt of the evaluation report from the National Integrity Agency and rejected the accusations, announcing that he will contest the ANI report.

„The report concerns an alleged violation of Article 301 of the Criminal Code, regarding conflict of interest. I will file conclusions against this report because there is no conflict of interest. ANI has informed me that it will refer the matter to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. I will not resign, it is a simple referral to the Public Prosecutor’s Office”, said Constantin Mitulețu-Buică to G4Media.

The case started when Carmen Mihaela Miningeș, sister-in-law of the President of the AEP, was hired as an advisor in the Dolj Territorial Office.

Background. Mitulețu Buică was also the subject of a criminal complaint, but the judges referred the case back to the prosecutor’s office. In December 2021, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the 3rd District Court informed Parliament that it had referred the President of the AEP to trial on charges of abuse of office. He was accused by prosecutors of pressuring Gabriel Saucă (Director General, Directorate for Coordination of the National Electoral Information System) and Cristian Petraru (Head of the Department for the Organisation of Electoral Processes) to leave the institution.

Mitulețu-Buică rejected the accusations.

At the beginning of June 2022, the Bucharest Municipal Court decided to return to the prosecutor’s office the case of abuse of office of the president of the Permanent Electoral Authority, Constantin Mitulețu Buică. The decision is final.