Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) has announced a criminal investigation against Teodosie Petrescu, the Archbishop of Tomis and one of the most powerful representatives of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Prosecutors charged him with influence peddling – along with his complicit advisor.
DNA prosecutors specify that in July 2023, the Archbishop promised RON 160,000 to a local businessman, which represented 20% of the RON 800,000 the latter said it could obtain for the Archdiocese of Tomis „by making use of the influence he claimed to have had on the officials with decision-making rights within the State Secretariat for Religions”.
An advisor from the Archdiocese of Tomis also participated in the discussion. He allegedly negotiated with the businessman the terms in which that „agreement” was to be put into practice.
The amount of RON 800,000 was meant to finance certain construction works or rehabilitation of the worship units under the Tomis Archdiocese.
Romanian investigative platform Recorder recently published a video investigation in which a former priest, who is also a businessman, filmed with a hidden camera the negotiations with several church parties, including Archbishop Teodosie, regarding the granting of „commissions” of 20% from sums given from the state budget for churches.
