Romania Case Concludes with Gabriel Popoviciu’s Exoneration

Romanian Court Fully Acquits Gabriel Popoviciu, Ending Long Legal Battle

A prolonged legal dispute in Romania concluded in January 2025 when the country’s High Court of Cassation and Justice issued a final and irrevocable ruling, fully acquitting Gabriel ‘Puiu’ Popoviciu.

This ruling upheld the Bucharest Court of Appeal’s decision from July 2024, which had cleared all defendants involved in the case concerning the Băneasa shopping, office, and residential development.

In the July 2024 ruling, Judge Liana Arsenie, head of the Court of Appeal, exonerated Popoviciu along with ten other defendants. She strongly criticized the actions of prosecutor Nicolae Marin from Romania’s National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), stating that the prosecution was based on a fabricated scenario. The High Court reaffirmed her decision on January 15, 2025, concluding that the alleged offenses did not exist.

Judge Arsenie remarked, “The investigating authority assigned fictitious roles and functions and imagined authority relationships. The prosecution was built on a scenario imagined by the prosecutor.” She also pointed out misleading interpretations, violations of legal logic, and the wrongful criminalization of lawful civil actions. The case had drawn international attention, raising concerns about potential abuses of the legal system.

Popoviciu’s legal challenges extended beyond Romania. In July 2023, the UK Supreme Court dismissed Romania’s extradition request, ensuring he would not be sent back. This decision followed a June 11, 2021, ruling by London’s High Court, which refused extradition on grounds of judicial impartiality concerns.

In that ruling, British Judge Lord Justice Holroyde stated, “The evidence shows a real risk that the appellant suffered an extreme example of a lack of judicial impartiality, such that there can be no question as to consequences for the fairness of the trial.” Additionally, Edward Fitzgerald KC warned that extraditing Popoviciu would constitute a “flagrant denial of justice.”

Willy Fautré, Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), welcomed the final decision, stating:

“This final court ruling rightfully builds on the Bucharest Court of Appeal’s decision last July, as well as previous UK court rulings rejecting Romania’s extradition requests. However, this case raises serious concerns about the state of justice in Romania, an EU member state. The fact that multiple courts have now confirmed Mr. Popoviciu faced persecution by a prosecutor in an EU and now Schengen country is deeply troubling.”