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The administrator of the Strehareț cemetery in Slatina and a director from Olt, detained for loan sharking and blackmail

Cristiana Dida

23 October 2026, 13:39

Politics

Foto: shutterstock.com

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The administrator of the Strehareț Cemetery in Slatina and the deputy director of Olt County’s water company have been detained for 24 hours on charges of loan sharking and blackmail.

According to investigators, the two allegedly lent money to several people and later demanded very high interest rates. During searches conducted at the cemetery administrator’s home, he allegedly came out with a hunting rifle and fired shots at police officers and intervention forces.

The two suspects are expected to be brought before the court, with prosecutors seeking 30 days of pretrial detention. The investigation is continuing to establish the exact facts and the circumstances in which they allegedly occurred.

The case concerns allegations made by several people who claim they received loans from the two men and were subsequently asked to pay very high interest rates. The authorities will continue to gather evidence and take the legal measures required in this case.

Context: the investigations in Slatina concerning Strehareți Cemetery and the conflict with the company that administered it preceded the detentions

Before the detentions, the authorities opened several investigations related to Strehareți Cemetery in Slatina, following the discovery of human remains. The police initially investigated the desecration of corpses and graves, including suspicions that the remains had been exhumed and moved into mass graves, in bags, to free up burial plots.

Slatina Mayor Mario De Mezzo later announced that investigators had found bags containing bones, while the municipality pointed out that it did not possess documents regarding the exhumations and reburials carried out by the former private administrator. At the same time, De Mezzo became a defendant in a case related to “Strehareți Cemetery,” and the investigation was also extended to several Local Police employees, including the head of the institution, as well as to allegations such as abuse of office and harassment.