Romanian Anticorruption Prosecutors Indict Refereeing Corruption Suspects

Cornel Penescu, owner of SC PIC SA Pitesti and of Argest Pitesti FC, has been charged with offering bribe, influence peddling and setting up an organized crime group. Liviu Facaleata, general manager of SC PIC SA Pitesti, has been charged with complicity to bribe, setting up an organized crime group. Dan Cristian Libertatu, former manager of the Arges County Consumer’s Protection Office has been charged with taking bribes. Gheorghe Constantin, former president of the Referee Central Commission (CCA), has been charged with taking bribes and setting up an organized crime group.

Prosecutors also indicted Florin Prunea, International Relations manager with the Romanian Football Federation, charging him with influence peddling. Earlier, DNA prosecutors indicted referees Marcel Savaniu, Sorin Corpodean, Aurelian Bogaciu and former CCA vice-president Marcel Lică, on charges of influence peddling.

Other suspects who are to be tried in the case are Gheorghita Pieca, manager of SC PIC SA and Arges FC, for complicity in offering bribes, influence peddling and setting up an organized crime group, Cristian Minca, president of Arges FC, under the same charges and Daniela Carstiana, manager at SC PIC SA, for assisting a criminal. Two other referees, Dan Cristian Lucian and Sorin Caia, will also be tried.

Investigators said that between 2006 and April 2009, Penescu, Facaleata, Minca, Pieca and Gheorghe set up an organized crime group which committed several serious corruption crimes, in order to obtain financial or material benefits.

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