The mayor of a commune in Neamț is under investigation for illegally obtaining funds and abuse of office

The mayor of Dămuc commune, Neamț County, Anton Covasan, is under judicial supervision for illegally obtaining funds and abuse of office, in a case concerning works to rebuild several bridges. Prosecutors claim that the official used documents containing false information to obtain money from the Government, although one of the bridges had not been damaged. The estimated damage to the state budget amounts to 466,000 lei.

The measure was ordered for 60 days, starting on November 4. During this period, the mayor may not go to the institution’s headquarters and may not exercise his duties as mayor or president of the Local Committee for Emergency Situations. The administrator of a company, accused of complicity in abuse of office, is also being investigated in the same case.

The acts allegedly took place in the summer of 2020. According to investigators, the commune allegedly received 822,340 lei from the Government’s Intervention Fund, including 400,000 lei for rebuilding one bridge and 66,000 lei for repairing another. Prosecutors state that the works were awarded preferentially, without the necessary documentation and permits, and that some of the works may have been fictitious. Searches were conducted on November 3, and four suspects were placed under criminal investigation. The accusations do not remove the presumption of innocence.