Ilie Cheșa, former deputy mayor of Arad, was sentenced to suspended prison for defrauding European funds.

The Timiș Tribunal sentenced the former deputy mayor of Arad, Ilie Cheța, to two years in prison with suspension, following a plea agreement regarding the fraud of European funds.

He was accused of using false documents to obtain funds from the European Union budget, a crime committed in a continuous form. The court ordered the suspension of the sentence for a period of three years, during which Cheța will perform community service.

Additionally, he was banned from holding public office for two years. The investigation, conducted by the European Public Prosecutor's Office, revealed that Cheța managed companies that benefited from EU grants, using falsified documents to obtain subsidies.

The case was published by the European Public Prosecutor's Office in December 2025, and Cheța resigned from the position of deputy mayor a few months before the public announcement. The court's decision is not final and can be appealed.