Former Sector 3 mayoral candidate detained in pension fraud probe amid SRI service dispute

The investigation into a pension-fraud ring that inserted false employment records has led to the arrest of six individuals, including former Sector 3 mayoral hopeful Ștefan Corneliu. DIICOT prosecutors allege the group created fictitious seniority to boost future pensions and have confiscated hundreds of documents, stamps, and electronic devices during raids. Corneliu, who asserted he retired from SRI in 2023 as a general after 28 years of service, was placed in preventive detention for 30 days by the Bucharest Court of Appeal, which also ordered the continued detention of Ionuț Bumbu.

The remaining three suspects remain under judicial control while the appeal of the detention order is considered. The court’s decision also imposed a 500-lei judicial cost on each of the contested defendants. The case highlights gaps in coordination between tax and pension authorities that allowed the fraud to persist.