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Gheorghe Rotaru, former mayor of Țibana, was rehired as a personal adviser after losing his mandate due to a conflict of interest

Riana Gegiu

13 November 2026, 12:03

Politics

Gheorghe Rotaru/ Foto: primariatibana.ro

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Gheorghe Rotaru, the former PSD mayor of Țibana commune, Iași County, was rehired by the local government just days after losing his mandate following a final finding of a conflict of interest. He was appointed personal adviser to Deputy Mayor Neculai Lețcanu, who took over his duties until new elections are held.

Rotaru’s mandate, which he had held since 2012, ended on September 30, 2026, after Law No. 180/2026 entered into force. The former mayor had been the subject of a report by the National Integrity Agency (ANI) after, in 2021, he issued an order favoring a family enterprise represented by his wife, in which one of his sons was also a member. Rotaru challenged the report in court, unsuccessfully.

According to a specialist quoted by Ziarul de Iași, the new appointment would violate the ban of up to three years applicable to people found to have been in a conflict of interest, including in positions within the offices of local elected officials. Failure to observe the ban may be sanctioned with fines ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 lei.

The Iași Prefecture cannot currently challenge the order because the county has no prefect or deputy prefects. The institution is being temporarily coordinated by the secretary-general, who does not have the same powers. Rotaru refused to explain his rehiring.

Context: the effects of the “Fritz amendment” on mayors and locally elected officials, following Constitutional Court decisions and ANI monitoring

Before the case of Gheorghe Rotaru, an amendment to the Integrity Law was declared constitutional by the Constitutional Court of Romania, and the provisions concern the termination of the mandate or loss of office for persons subject to incompatibilities or conflicts of interest, including when the rulings are final. The amendment provides that the sanctions are to apply 30 days after the law enters into force, while the National Integrity Agency is monitoring dozens of cases, some of which are still held by officeholders.

In this context, there have also been other situations in which mayors lost (or were due to lose) their mandate because of established conflicts of interest, such as the case of Mayor Adrian Torma of Moldova Nouă, whose termination of office was directly linked to the entry into force of the amendments publicly known as the “Fritz amendment”.