The head of the Cluj State Inspectorate for Road Transport Control, Bogdan Durlea, and a road traffic inspector were detained by the DNA for bribery and abuse of office. They are accused of having “protected” several cargo transport companies, to which they would have provided information about the checks that the road inspectors were going to make and which they would not have sanctioned for violating the law.
DNA headquartersPhoto: Victor Cozmei / HotNews.ro
DNA announced that Bogdan Ștefan Durlea, territorial chief inspector within the State Inspectorate for Road Transport Control (ISCTR), was detained for the crimes of bribery, abuse of office, carrying out financial operations, as incompatible trade documents with the function, attribution or assignment that a person fulfills, in order to obtain money, goods or other improper benefits for himself or for another, using, in any way, directly or indirectly, information that is not intended for publicity or allowing access to unauthorized persons with this information, in order to obtain money, goods or other improper benefits for themselves or for others, in a continuous form.
In the same file, Florin Mihai Zehan was also detained, for accepting bribes, using, in any way, directly or indirectly, information that is not intended for publicity or allowing unauthorized persons access to this information, in order to obtain for himself or herself another of money, goods or other improper benefits, in continuous form.
The accusations brought by the DNA:
- In the period 2021-2023, officials of the State Inspectorate for Road Transport Control (ISCTR) Cluj, including Bogdan Ștefan Durlea and Florin Mihai Zehan, would have “protected” several companies with an object of activity in the field of goods transport which would have provided them with information not intended for publicity regarding the checks that the road inspectors were going to carry out and would not have taken the legal sanctioning measures regarding the violations of the law that they found (exceeding the maximum authorized transport mass, lack of a driving license transportation, etc.).
- For these “services”, some of the officials, including Florin Mihai Zehan, would have requested and received from the “protected” persons several sums of money and other undue benefits, unquantified until now.
- In the spring of 2023, Bogdan Durlea would have received certain benefits from a subordinate in connection with the exercise of the duties related to the appointment/maintenance of county coordinating inspectors.
- In the course of 2023, despite the prohibition to administer commercial companies, Bogdan Durlea would have administered a company with an object of activity in the field of goods transport, in the sense that he would have disposed of a truck, would have issued several invoices and would have collected various amounts of money.
In this case, DNA prosecutors carried out more than 20 searches on Wednesday, taking place at the inspectorates for the control of road transport in Baia Mare and Oradea.
Bogdan Durlea headed the State Inspectorate for Road Transport Control for a few months, being revoked from the position in which he was delegated in June 2021, by the then Minister of Transport Cătălin Drula. In November 2021, Durlea returned to management at the head of ISCTR Cluj IT 4, according to ziardecluj.ro.
The inspectorate led by Bogdan Durlea has the counties of Alba, Bihor, Bistrita-Năsăud, Cluj, Maramureş, Satu Mare and Sălaj as its area of responsibility.
According to the institution’s website, the State Inspectorate for Control in Road Transport – ISCTR is the permanent technical body specialized under the Ministry of Transport, ensuring at the national level the inspection and control of compliance with national and international regulations in the field of road transport, regarding, mainly:
- the conditions for carrying out road transport activities, road transport-related activities and training activities for people in order to obtain a driver’s license;
- road transport safety and environmental protection;
- technical condition of road vehicles;
- the maximum masses and/or dimensions allowed on public roads and the maximum authorized total masses;
- the usage rate and the pass rate on the national road network in Romania.
