Prosecutor sent to trial for driving under the influence of drugs in Giurgiu county
Horia Țiugan, the prosecutor who investigated the Alfred Bulai case, has been sent to trial after testing positive for amphetamine and ketamine while driving a vehicle.
Prosecutor Horia Țiugan sent to trial for driving under the influence of amphetamine and ketamine
Prosecutor Horia Țiugan, known to the public for investigating the case of former university professor Alfred Bulai, has been sent to trial by the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Bucharest Court of Appeal for driving under the influence of psychoactive substances, according to Gândul.
On 2 May 2025, at approximately 2:25 a.m., Țiugan was stopped by Giurgiu Traffic Police on a public road in the county. A Drug Test device indicated a positive result for amphetamine. Subsequent toxicological analyses, carried out at the "Mina Minovici" National Institute of Forensic Medicine, confirmed the presence of ketamine in the magistrate's system.
During questioning, the prosecutor stated that he had been undergoing treatment for almost six months, but was unable to present a medical prescription for the identified substances. According to the investigators, forensic medical expertise determined that the consumed substances had affected his ability to drive at the moment he was detected in traffic.
"According to the conclusions of the forensic medical expertise report, the identified substances affected the accused's ability to drive the vehicle at the moment of detection in traffic," the prosecutors stated.
The decision to send the case to trial was made on 14 October 2026. Since the accused has the status of a magistrate, the case will be tried at first instance by the Bucharest Court of Appeal, the competent court for this category of persons.
Context: the Alfred Bulai case
Horia Țiugan drew public attention following the investigation into former SNSPA professor Alfred Bulai. Bulai was sent to trial on 31 March after prosecutors were seized ex officio following a press investigation published in July 2024. Several female students claimed that the former academic staff member had sexually abused them and had used his position to prevent them from disclosing the incidents.
One of the victims told investigators that the abuse continued even after her internship in Albac commune, from the summer of 2023. The student later sought help from a psychologist because of the situations she had experienced during that period.
Gândul published exclusively extracts from intercepted telephone conversations of Alfred Bulai, from which details emerged about the nature of the internships coordinated by the sociologist. According to the accounts, the "psychological games" imposed on students had a pronounced sexual character, and one of the students was subjected to pressure that brought her into a state of shock.
Horia Țiugan is to be tried for the facts of which he is accused. Until a final court ruling, he benefits from the presumption of innocence.
Source: Gândul