A recent investigation conducted by Romanian journalists at Recorder claims to show that Vlad Oprea, the mayor of Sinaia, a popular mountain town roughly 120 km north of Bucharest, has an impressive fortune hidden from public view. He allegedly owns several properties, including a castle in France, which was bought under the name of one of his close associates. In his turn, the mayor denied the allegations and said the journalistic material was released to harm his electoral campaign. 

Vlad Oprea has been the mayor of Sinaia since 2004 and is now running for another term.

One of Oprea's associates, Beniamin Gonț, serves as a front for the Liberal (PNL) mayor, journalists say. Despite managing only a few modest businesses - which sprung up in the touristic parts of Sinaia through Oprea’s goodwill - Gonț rather inexplicably had the funds to purchase and now restore the castle in France. The property is set to be restored with costs expected to exceed EUR 2 million, a story that was reported on in the local French media. The same report initially brought the story to the attention of the Romanian journalists. 

According to the French press, the castle is set to be transformed into a luxury hotel. The building, which is now in a state of advanced decay, is located in Orthez, close to the Pyrenees and the coast of the Atlantic. The mayor of Orthez admitted to meeting the Romanian “investors” but refused to provide any more information, although neighbors told journalists they saw Vlad Oprea at the property in France several times.

Vlad Oprea’s hidden financial ties do not stop with the castle in France, according to Recorder. Privacons SRL, a company officially owned by his 80-year-old mother, received hundreds of thousands of euros from various businessmen with connections to the municipality headed by Oprea.

Additionally, several significant investments in the mountain resort are registered in the name of Beniamin Gonț or his brothers, while Oprea's relatives hold key positions in local administration. The investigation also claims to show manipulated public tenders and a circuit of bribes.

According to the same investigation, Oprea’s influence is by no means strictly limited to the local area. The Sinaia mayor has a close friendship with Lucian Bode, former minister of internal affairs and current PNL secretary general. It is worth noting that Bode was himself investigated for plagiarizing his thesis. 

The investigation claims that Vlad Oprea helped Lucian Bode build a vacation villa in Sinaia, registered in the name of the PNL leader's son. The land where this villa was built was allegedly bought by Lucian Bode from the mayor's sister at a price reportedly much lower than the area's market value. Bode denied wrongdoing in the transaction but avoided admitting that he bought the land in Sinaia from Oprea’s sister.

Recorder journalists also state that Vlad Oprea recently built a massive 1,000-square-meter villa in Sinaia in a protected area, close to one of the city's iconic building - the Monastery of Sinaia. He also built a private road to the new house. Although the property is registered under Privacons, officially owned by the mayor's mother, it's known to be inhabited by Vlad Oprea. 

In reply, the Sinaia mayor denied the allegations and said that the jurnalistic investigation was all part of the ongoing electoral campaign. “There are many interest groups, and many investors who will stop at nothing to achieve their desired results, even going so far as to order various actions. This is not the first time I have faced such campaigns,” he told Euronews Romania.

Vlad Oprea also claimed that he was helping Beniamin Gonț renovate the “ruin” in France because he is a civil engineer. He also denied knowing where the money for the purchase came from. Finally, the PNL mayor argued that the journalistic investigation was financed by a “criminal group” interested in obtaining zoning permits in Sinaia, which so far were denied. 

Vlad Oprea stands to be re-elected, and may be victorious given the weak presence of opposing parties, the Social Democrats and the reformist USR party. PNL, Oprea’s party, contested the candidacies of all USR representatives in Prahova, the county where Sinaia is located.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Vlad Oprea on Facebook)