Tudor Pendiuc seeks review of Publitrans conviction

Tudor Pendiuc, the former mayor of Pitești, has requested a review of his criminal sentence in the Publitrans case. The Bucharest Court of Appeal has scheduled the analysis of this request for September 10, 2026.

Pendiuc was previously sentenced to four years in prison for abuse of office with particularly serious consequences. The case involved the procurement of 80 buses, where he was accused of favoring private companies CNCD SA and Girexim Universal SA. The DNA estimated the resulting prejudice at approximately 23 million lei.

Defense lawyers are citing a new element: a document from Publitrans 2000 SA claiming the company was not harmed by the contract award. Pendiuc was released on conditional parole on January 28, 2025, after serving less than half of his sentence.