A large-scale search operation is taking place at Tinmar Energy, one of the largest energy distributors in Romania, as part of an investigation targeting market manipulation for the illegal acquisition of state subsidies.

The prosecutors of the Prosecutor's Office next to the High Court, together with the police officers of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, raided eight locations in Bucharest, including the headquarters of Tinmar and the homes of the owners. The charges include particularly serious fraud and money laundering. The investigation focuses on activities carried out between April and August 2022, when the Tinmar group allegedly conducted operations aimed at artificially increasing the average purchase price of energy, generating significant profits and maximizing subsidies from the state budget. Transfers of clients between the group's companies, which led to a rapid increase in the client portfolio and the reporting of a higher number of consumption points, are also being investigated. The estimated damage to the state budget exceeds 104 million lei.