Romanian Bac exam candidate stays in hall after refusing police search without warrant

A candidate taking the Bacalaureat exam in Câmpeni, Alba County, Romania, was suspected of using a tiny earpiece to cheat. Police were called, but the candidate told the officer, “Domnule, nu pune mâna pe mine decât dacă ai mandat” (Sir, you may not touch me without a warrant), and the officer did not intervene. The candidate remained in the exam room and continued the test.

Cornel Sandu, head of the Alba County School Inspectorate, said that supervisors are not allowed to search students and described the incident as part of a broader cheating phenomenon, estimating that about 10% of eliminated cases nationwide involve such devices, especially in the Apuseni Mountains. He suggested a local jamming solution could help. Sandu also cited past actions where dozens of copied papers were eliminated and noted the current pass rate was 81.39%, up from 76.10% the previous year. Six candidates were eliminated for fraud and will be barred from the next two exam sessions.