IMPARȚIALITATE·INTEGRITATE·EFICIENȚĂ
April, 30th, 2009
No. 101/VIII/3
Press release
The prosecutors within the National Anticorruption Directorate – the Territorial Service Piteşti, carry out the criminal investigation against the defendant BOGACIU DUMITRU AURELIAN, football referee in the "A" Division, who was charged with repeatedly committing the offence of taking bribe.
The prosecutors’ resolution of starting the criminal investigation stipulates that on October 2nd 2008, the defendant Bogaciu Dumitru Aurelian, in his capacity as football referee, appointed by the Romanian Football Federation to be the main referee at the football match FC ARGEŞ – UNIVERSITATEA CRAIOVA (the game took place on October 3rd 2008 in Piteşti) in the Romanian Football League "Liga I", he received the amount of 5,000 USD from the defendant Penescu Gheorghe Cornel, the middleman being the defendant Făcăleaţă Liviu Ilie. In exchange for the money, the referee was supposed to favor the team F.C. ARGEŞ Piteşti, in that match.
It is also worth mentioning that on November 19th 2008, the defendant accepted and benefited from the offer made by the defendant Făcăleaţă Liviu Ilie to be accommodated for free at a hotel within Piteşti (considering that he hadn’t been appointed as a referee those days in any of the matches that took place in Piteşti). In exchange for this service, the referee was supposed to favor the team F.C. ARGEŞ Piteşti, in its future matches in the Romanian Football League "Liga I", when he would be appointed by the Romanian Football Federation – the Central Commission of Referees as a referee. The cost of the accommodation was of 374 lei.
The defendant was informed about the charges brought against him, in accordance with the provisions of article 6 paragraph 3 of the Criminal Procedure Code and on April 29th 2009, the anticorruption prosecutors ordered for him to be detained for a period of 24 hours. On April 30th 2009, the Tribunal of Argeş ordered for the defendant Bogaciu Dumitru Aurelian to be taken under temporary custody for a period of 29 days.
Penescu Gheorghe Cornel, Făcăleaţă Liviu Ilie, Constantin Gheorghe and Libertatu Cristian Corpodean Sorin, Savaniu Marcel and Lică Marcel are also under investigation in the same case being charged with corruption offences. The above mentioned defendants are under temporary custody for a period of 29 days, as a result of the measure ordered by the Tribunal of Argeş on April 14th 2009 and April 23rd 2009 (for more details: the press release no. 91/VIII/3 from April 14th 2009 and 99/VIII/3).
Other persons are also under investigation in the same case.
The prosecutors cooperated in the investigation of this case with officers from the Ministry of Administration and Interior – the General Direction of Intelligence and Internal Protection.
It is worth mentioning that the initiation of the criminal action represents a stage of the criminal proceedings regulated by the Criminal Procedure Code in order to propose some preventive measures, an activity which can not, under any circumstances, infringe the principle of presumption of innocence.
THE INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE