Romanian county officials face scrutiny over budget mismanagement and sexual abuse case

In Satu Mare County, PNL councilor Alina Ristea sharply criticised the County Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection (DGASPC), accusing the agency of opaque budgeting, inflated salaries for senior staff and inadequate resources for frontline workers. She said the budget was presented in a ten‑minute PowerPoint – “The budget was presented in ten minutes” – and called for a comprehensive audit of the institution’s financial, material and human‑resource management for 2025‑2026, urging that “public money must be administered with responsibility, decency and respect for people.”

In Vaslui County, a communications officer for the council president, David Ionuț Popa, posted a controversial message defending a teacher accused of sexually assaulting a 15‑year‑old student, urging people to visit the school to judge the victim’s morality. The teacher, a former school inspector, was placed under judicial control after surveillance video confirmed the abuse, and prosecutors have asked a court for preventive detention.

Both incidents highlight heightened local political tension in Romania over public administration conduct and handling of sexual‑assault allegations.