The August 10 file, regarding the violence of the gendarmes in 2018, risks being blocked due to the request for recusal of Judge Nicolae George Octavian.

The August 10 file, which investigates the violence of the gendarmes during the protest on August 10, 2018, is in danger of being permanently blocked before the ruling in the first instance. Judge Nicolae George Octavian has filed a request for recusal, citing his connection to lawyer Mircea Sinescu, the representative of the former leaders of the Gendarmerie. This request was made after Sinescu appeared at a court hearing, and a similar request had been previously rejected.

If the recusal request is granted, the file could be assigned to a new panel of judges, which would involve restarting the evidence administration and would delay the verdict until 2026, when the facts become statute-barred. The Declic organization, which supports the victims, has submitted a memorandum to reject the recusal request, emphasizing that this action could also affect other criminal cases. The August 10 file symbolizes the delays of justice in Romania, with 22 gendarmes charged and multiple postponements in the trial.