DNA launches investigation into Timișoara City Hall's handling of Colterm bailout
Prosecutors have opened a case examining how Timișoara's city hall, then led by Dominic Fritz, managed state-funded rescue of the heating firm Colterm.
DNA prosecutors in Timișoara have opened a file to scrutinize the financial maneuvers used by the city hall to prevent Colterm, the municipal heating company, from going bankrupt. The case targets actions taken while Dominic Fritz was mayor, with Ruben Lațcău, now interim mayor, among the ten city officials questioned. The investigation was triggered after Fritz was ousted following a law change supported by PSD and AUR and validated by the Constitutional Court, despite concerns about retroactivity.
Authorities suspect abuse of office in the allocation of subsidies from the Ministry of Development for the rescue operation. This probe follows a similar 2021 case against Colterm that was closed in 2023 after examining the city's failure to purchase greenhouse-gas emission certificates. One outlet file remains open-in-rem, focusing on alleged misconduct rather than naming individuals.
Why it matters
It highlights potential misuse of public funds and political interference in municipal rescue efforts.
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