The leader of the association operating illegal care homes in Bihor, western Romania, Viorel Pașca, his wife, and their three sons were placed under judicial control pending further investigations, according to a ruling by the Bucharest Tribunal made on Thursday, July 2.
Prosecutors say that starting in 2020, Pașca and his family recruited and housed vulnerable people, especially those with mental health conditions, under the pretext of providing social and humanitarian services. In reality, the victims were allegedly kept in conditions of servitude so that their assets and income from disability pensions, allowances, and donations could be taken over. In this way, the network obtained over RON 13 million (EUR 2.48 million)
Funeral aid also ended up in the pockets of group members, the investigators said. During searches at the Pașca family’s homes, authorities found over 200 bank cards, dozens of social cards, electronic transport vouchers, all issued in the names of victims, a quarter of RON 1 million in cash, thousands of euros and other currencies.
Judicial control was also ordered for the person who managed branches and community organizations within the association, although the decision is not final.
The case of the illegal care homes broke earlier this week, uncovering similarities with another, more serious case from 2023. Unlike the latter, however, the situation of the care homes in Bihor is not as clear, leading many to argue that Viorel Pașca and his association, “Dumbrava – God Takes Care,” were doing their best with the available resources, taking care of patients who had been abandoned by state institutions.
Viorel Pașca also came out to defend his actions, answering many questions from journalists. He claimed that the patients were well cared for and that the injuries seen in photos taken during police raids were not caused in his facilities. He further claimed that far from being behind a hidden network, his association was promoting itself for a long time locally and online.
Pașca nevertheless admitted that he did not have authorization for social assistance, but maintained that he provided patients with better conditions than they had at home. He also said that his children were not involved.
“You say a person was on the street, eaten by rats and worms; the state took him and did not save him, but brought him to Dumbrava. After he came to Dumbrava, he was cleaned and treated, and then the state came to rescue him? It makes no sense,” the man said, cited by News.ro.
“The conditions we provided, however modest they may have been, and they were not modest, were far better than those they came from,” he explained. He added that he took patients to the swimming pool, cinema, football matches, or barbecues.
Viorel Pașca also described how an inspection involving several institutions allegedly took place last year.
“They congratulated us for what we were doing. Prefecture, Police, Public Health Directorate, Veterinary Authority, Social Inspection Agency. I don’t know if others were there, and they said we were doing a good job. But they said we should get authorized. How do you authorize a house that has been renovated and arranged in a certain way, when standards say it must look completely different? Should I demolish it and rebuild it?” he said.
Viorel Pașca said that prosecutors found cash during the searches because it was the last day of the month, and salaries had to be paid. He also claimed he had funds to build a new kitchen.
Meanwhile, the authorities are scrambling to provide assistance to the people found in the care homes. On Thursday, July 2, the Ministry of Labor allocated RON 19 million from the state budget to cover the expenses necessary for the care of the 409 people relocated following the DIICOT intervention at the Dumbrava association locations. The people were placed with 20 county directorates for social assistance and child protection across the country, according to Digi24.
At the same time, the institution established a technical team to provide support and methodological guidance to all directorates involved in managing these cases. Finally, the Ministry activated a crisis cell and made available to relatives a phone number for obtaining information.
(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)
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