Electoral corruption in Călărași: Voters lured with amounts of up to 3,000 lei to vote for a certain electoral candidate.

The accused, described by the court as a responsible person/supporter of a political party for the Călărași district, allegedly recruited several individuals to participate in meetings and political events, and subsequently gave money to some voters to persuade them to vote for a certain candidate in the presidential elections on 20.10.2024: 2,800 lei to Burghelea Constantin, 2,800 lei to Tatiana Surdu, 2,000 lei to Harea Ștefan and, according to the testimony of witness Chicu Tatiana, about 3,000 lei to her. The court found that the act constitutes electoral corruption through the giving of money.

Other property measures: Confiscation of the object of the crime: mobile phone OPPO CPH2015;

First court: Conviction
Appeal: Not applicable / unknown
Review: Not applicable / unknown

The ruling concerns an accusation of electoral corruption through the giving of money in the context of the presidential elections and the constitutional referendum on October 20, 2024. The court found that the defendant recruited individuals to participate in political activities and provided them with money to influence the vote, valuing the statements of the prosecution witnesses, confrontations, and evidence seized during the search.

The peculiarity of the case lies in the fact that several witnesses described the money either as “help” or “gifts,” or as payment related to party activity, while the defendant claimed that the amounts came from his personal funds and were not intended to influence the vote. The court rejected this defense, classified the crime as formal, and imposed a monetary fine, not imprisonment, as well as the confiscation of the OPPO phone used in the commission of the act.