Romanian anti‑corruption agency detains gambling regulator Ana‑Maria Badea on bribery charges

The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in Romania placed Ana‑Maria Badea, adjunct director of the Directorate General for Gambling Authorization within the National Office for Gambling (ONJN), under judicial control for 24 hours. She is accused of continuous bribery, having allegedly received a total of €2,500 from gambling‑industry representatives between December 2025 and May 2026, partly through her husband, in exchange for expediting approvals, reauthorizations and other requests handled by the ONJN.

Two ONJN inspectors, Radu Andrei Blaga and Radu Constantin Bratan, were also placed under judicial control for 60 days. Prosecutors allege they accepted sums ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 lei from operators to avoid sanctions during inspections, contributing to a total of about 25,000 lei in illicit payments. DNA opened criminal proceedings, and a proposal for a 30‑day preventive arrest for Badea will be presented to the Bucharest Tribunal.