Viorel Pașca and family released from judicial control by Bucharest Court

The Bucharest Court of Appeal overturned the judicial‑control measures imposed on Viorel Pașca, the founder of the illegal shelters in Bihor, his wife Florica, their three sons and the centre coordinator Delia Păcală. The ruling, issued on 13 July 2026, also dismissed DIICOT’s request for preventive detention, confirming the earlier decision of the Bucharest Tribunal. Prosecutors allege that the Pașca family headed an organised crime group that trafficked and exploited vulnerable people – elderly, disabled and homeless – by placing them in unlicensed homes across several counties. The investigation, launched in 2020, uncovered more than 400 residents in the facilities and claims that the group earned income from pensions and donations. The court’s decision is final, leaving the six defendants free while the criminal case continues. Former PSD MP Sebastian Ghiță has spread an unfounded conspiracy theory that former SRI official Florin Coldea intervened to protect Pașca, but no evidence supports this claim.