Pitești Court of Appeal judges face disciplinary trial

Two judges from the Pitești Court of Appeal, Ioan Fundătureanu and Costin Andrei Stancu, are facing disciplinary proceedings before the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM). The Judicial Inspection has accused the magistrates of acting with “bad faith” during the sentencing of former official Daniel Chițoiu.

In the case involving a 2019 fatal road accident, the Pitești Court had initially issued a three-year suspended sentence. However, the Pitești Court of Appeal increased the sentence to four years of imprisonment, which mandated immediate execution. The Judicial Inspection alleges that the judges improperly factored in the procedural behavior of the defendant and his lawyers—including challenges to the court and requests for medical evidence—as grounds for aggravating the penalty.

The disciplinary action follows the final ruling that significantly altered the legal status of the defendant by removing the possibility of a suspended sentence.