A former head of the evaluation commission for adults with disabilities in Prahova and 12 other defendants have escaped corruption charges due to the statute of limitations.

The Buzău Tribunal ruled on Thursday, a decision which found the intervention of the statute of limitations for the criminal liability of a former head of the Commission for the Evaluation of Adults with Disabilities in Prahova and 12 other defendants, following a corruption case that lasted 13 years.

The court ordered the cessation of the criminal proceedings, although the General Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection in Prahova became a civil party, requesting the recovery of damages amounting to 3,073,726 lei, caused by undue payments of disability benefits.

In 2013, the DNA sent the defendants to trial for the fraudulent issuance of disability certificates, in exchange for sums of money and falsified medical documents, which led to the illegal collection of over 3 million lei.