Four Bucharest Traffic Police Officers Investigated for Bribery, Abuse of Office

Four police officers from Bucharest's Traffic Brigade are facing criminal charges for alleged bribery and abuse of office. The investigation, spearheaded by the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Bucharest Tribunal with support from the General Directorate for Anti-Corruption, is ongoing.

Prosecutors have formally charged the four individuals, initiating criminal proceedings on June 16, 2026. The charges stem from allegations that, between July 2021 and December 2025, the officers solicited and, in most cases, accepted money or other benefits from drivers. These payments were allegedly made to avoid penalties for various traffic infractions.

Instead of enforcing the law, the officers are accused of either not issuing sanctions at all or replacing them with warnings. This allegedly occurred even for serious violations such as running red lights, exceeding speed limits, and crossing solid lane markings. Prosecutors argue this conduct undermined state interests in traffic law compliance and unfairly benefited drivers by allowing them to evade fines, license suspensions, and penalty points.

Details reveal one 39-year-old officer faces seven counts of bribery and five of abuse of office, having received sums between 30 and 3,000 lei. Another 28-year-old officer is investigated for two counts of each offense, linked to payments of 3,000 and 200 lei. A third officer, also 28, is accused of one bribery charge and three abuse of office charges, including accepting a promise of medical benefits to avoid a license suspension. The fourth officer, aged 49, is investigated for two counts of abuse of office related to aggressive driving and red-light violations. Preventive measures include judicial control for the 49-year-old officer, while pre-trial detention was rejected for the other three.