A network that was illegally cutting down forests in Alba County covered its tracks with the help of police officers. Moreover, the timber thieves had a system in place to monitor police officers who did not „collaborate” and insisted on continuing investigations into illegal logging, according to anti-corruption prosecutors.
Thus, two police officers who refused to follow the network’s orders were being monitored by the businessmen involved. The businessmen claim they are victims of „a political investigation by the DNA” (National Anticorruption Directorate). They also argued that they had just begun „exploiting the forests in the county”.
On June 20, the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) announced it was investigating a timber mafia network involved in illegal logging, made up of businessmen and police officers.
This network was led by businessman Cătălin Gheorghe Narița and included two other individuals with businesses in the forestry sector: Ștefănuț Ilie and Mihai Ioan Furdui. The businessmen set up a system through which they cut down trees without legal permits, according to DNA. All three, along with representatives from the leadership of the Alba County Police Inspectorate, were placed under criminal investigation by anti-corruption prosecutors.
The timber thieves acted like investigators themselves
The illegal logging network sought to cover its tracks using methods worthy of a prosecutor’s investigation, according to the evidence gathered so far by investigators.
Members of the network monitored and searched for compromising information on two police officers whom they suspected had initiated an investigation against them, according to anti-corruption prosecutors.
The two officers in question were from the Special Operations Brigade (BOS) Alba-Iulia, part of the Alba County Police Inspectorate (IPJ).
The businessmen involved in illegal logging who were monitoring the police
According to the same source, in an effort to intimidate, businessman Cătălin Gheorghe Narița allegedly followed, surveilled, and photographed/filmed the two police officers without legal grounds or any legitimate interest, both at their homes, workplaces, and other places they frequented.
Moreover, businessmen Cătălin Gheorghe Narița, Ștefănuț Ilie, and Mihai Ioan Furdui had „moles” within the police force. These insiders provided information about colleagues who were investigating the members of the timber mafia network, according to DNA prosecutors.
Informants in the police
In this investigation, DNA Alba-Iulia prosecutors have initiated criminal proceedings against several police officers in the county for various offenses, ranging from bribery and abuse of office to influencing statements, perjury, and the disclosure of secret or confidential information.
„The accused police officers are alleged to have engaged in multiple illegal activities, such as repeated proposals/pressures to change one officer’s workplace, providing businesspeople with the work schedule of one officer, and conducting two disciplinary investigations against one officer in violation of legal provisions”, the investigators stated.
As a result, Florin Constantin Dogaru, Chief Commissioner of Police and Head of the Alba County Police Inspectorate (IPJ), is accused of abuse of office.
Dan Toma, who at the time was Chief Commissioner of Police and Head of the Rural Police Section 9 in Câmpeni, within IPJ Alba, is being investigated for bribery, improper participation in abuse of office (related to corruption offenses), compromising the interests of justice, influencing statements, and perjury.
Additionally, Ioan George Moșneag, Deputy Commissioner of Police in the Internal Affairs Bureau of IPJ Alba, is under investigation for disclosing secret or confidential information and abuse of office.
Ilie Dan Ciucur, an officer with the General Anticorruption Directorate (DGA) – Alba County, is being investigated for moral complicity in assault.
Alexandra Ioana Creț, who at the time was a police officer in IPJ Alba’s Rural Police Section 9 in Câmpeni, is being investigated for disclosing secret or confidential information.
Caught while trying to transfer the monitored police officers
To ensure they escaped the investigation by the police officers they were surveilling, the businessmen attempted to have these officers transferred to another county.
In this context, „Ștefănuț Ilie, Mihai Ioan Furdui, and Cătălin Gheorghe Narița allegedly promised a witness in the case a sum of 5,000 euros to use their supposed influence, which they claimed to have over officials in the leadership of the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police (IGPR), to have one of the officers transferred to another police unit,” according to anti-corruption prosecutors.
The leader of the network monitoring the police, a prosecutor’s nephew
Businessman Cătălin Gheorghe Narița is also the nephew of Ilie Narița, the former chief prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Alba-Iulia Court of Appeal. Ilie Narița retired in 2020. Both are originally from Sohodoi commune, Alba County.
The businessman acknowledges his relation to Ilie Narița, the former chief prosecutor, but claims he only knows him by sight and has never received any help from him.
„Yes, we are relatives. But I’ve never had any discussions with him. I have no connection to him. I never asked him for help with anything. I know him vaguely, I’ve seen him a few times. I don’t have any close relationship with him, nor have I ever had. I know he’s a distant cousin. There’s no connection between us”, Narița stated.
We contacted former chief prosecutor Ilie Narița, who told us he did not want to answer too many questions. „I’ve been retired since 2020, I’m no longer involved in any way in the legal system, and I have no comment regarding the activities of any prosecutor’s office,” he said.
It’s worth noting that during follow-up discussions with Gheorghe Narița, he didn’t seem aware that we had contacted his uncle.
Narița accuses the DNA of a „political setup”
Gheorghe Narița is convinced that the case opened by the DNA is a „political setup,” though he isn’t sure against whom. The businessman claims that his problems began when he stopped paying the police officers who reported him to the DNA.
Narița says he knows one of the two police officers from the Organized Crime Brigade who were investigating him. He claims that the officer had a personal relationship with one of his relatives.
However, Narița offers a completely different version of events. He asserts that he knows the two officers who reported him to the DNA quite well and has evidence to prove it.
„I was close friends with these officers, we used to have meals together. I’m talking about the officer who claims he stopped this so-called timber mafia. As for the timber they’re talking about, what can I tell you? I’m a new company, I only had one timber contract, and that can be checked. I don’t understand how they’re calling it the timber mafia when I’ve only cut about 500 cubic meters of wood, which is nothing for a company”, Narița said.
Moreover, he claims he cannot be accused of illegal logging because his company had just secured a legal contract to exploit a forest.
Prosecutors’ Suspicions
Ștefăneț Ilie is under investigation for several offenses, including influence buying, influence peddling, moral complicity in assault, incitement to assault, misleading judicial authorities, and continuous incitement to disclose secret or confidential information.
Mihai Ioan Furdui is being investigated for two counts of influence buying and continuous disclosure of secret or confidential information.
The third businessman under criminal investigation in the case is Cătălin Gheorghe Narița, the administrator of Vlad & Andrei Forest SRL, a company involved in timber exploitation.
Narița is facing charges for eight offenses: bribery, influence buying, two counts of assault, tree theft, perjury, two counts of poaching (one in continuous form), improper participation in illegal logging from the national forest fund (regardless of ownership), and timber theft.
Additionally, the company Vlad & Andrei Forest SRL is being investigated for illegal logging from the national forest fund and tree theft.
Illegal Logging, a Widespread Phenomenon
Over four years ago, the European Commission initiated infringement proceedings against Romania due to illegal logging in strictly protected areas, including Natura 2000 zones. While Romania has not yet faced financial penalties, it risks fines of hundreds of thousands of euros per day if the European Court of Justice rules against it.
In addition to the 18 million cubic meters of wood legally harvested from Romania’s forests, an equivalent amount disappears without documentation, according to the National Forest Inventory. The Ministry of Environment has stated that it will invest through the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) to improve the system.
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