Prosecutors seek preventive detention of administrators of unauthorised care centres in Bihor
The National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DIICOT) has appealed to the Court of Appeal a ruling by which the founder of an association and his relatives escaped arrest, being placed only under judicial supervision in a case involving the exploitation of mentally ill persons.
Prosecutors seek preventive detention of administrators of unauthorised care centres in Bihor
Before the Bucharest Court of Appeal on Thursday, anti-corruption and organised crime prosecutors are arguing their case to change the measure taken by judges at the Capital's Tribunal. The latter decided that Viorel Pașca together with four members of his family would not be imprisoned but instead monitored in the community, in the context of an investigation opened following clandestine social housing in the north-west of the country. Details were provided by Agerpres.
At the beginning of July, law enforcement officers placed handcuffs on six suspects, including the founder of the non-profit entity "Dumbrava — Minunea Divină" and his associates. The request for arrest was, however, rejected by the lower court, which imposed only restrictive obligations in free space. Both parties contested the ruling: the prosecution authority seeks imprisonment, whilst the defendants want to escape magistrates' oversight as well.
The charges relate to the creation of a criminal structure, the recruitment and exploitation of human beings on a repeated basis, as well as assistance with such acts. The investigation reveals that numerous individuals with psychiatric conditions and disabilities were taken from hospital units and social protection institutions from various regions and transported to properties in the villages of Holod, Ceica, Tinca and Lăzăreni. There they were presented as recipients of medical care and specialised assistance, although the locations had no authorisation and the residents were deprived of protection and the ability to express their will.
The judge who rejected deprivation of liberty, Andrada Albescu, argued that, although the activity was illegal, the material conditions were not deplorable: furnished rooms, beds, furniture, toilets, televisions, regular food, clothing, medicines and consultations. She also noted that those who died were buried according to ritual, not left outside, which in her view reduces social risk and makes arrest excessive.
DIICOT contradicts this perspective, citing improper administration of therapy, the absence of specialists and breach of regulations as arguments for imprisonment.
Source: G4Media.ro, citing Agerpres.
Source: G4Media