Romanian High Court strips Timișoara mayor of office over conflict-of-interest breach

The Înalta Curte de Casație și Justiție concluded that Dominic Fritz, mayor of Timișoara, breached conflict-of-interest rules by signing a referral for a Zonal Urban Plan that could benefit RD Sign SRL, a company linked to architect Răzvan Negrișanu, who had loaned Fritz money for his 2020 campaign. The judges emphasized that Fritz acted with full awareness of his debtor status and that his signature was intended to keep the procedure moving, not a clerical mistake.

While the court did not find evidence of bribery or financial loss to the city, it applied the law on administrative conflicts, imposing a three-year prohibition on holding elected or appointed office. Fritz’s claims that the plan originated in 2017 under former mayor Nicolae Robu and that the loan would be repaid by the Permanent Electoral Authority were dismissed. The ruling also noted that Negrișanu abstained from voting on the plan due to his own conflict, reinforcing the financial interest at stake. Despite the political ban, the court affirmed that Fritz retains the right to work in the private sector and in public roles that do not require asset declarations.