A candidate for a commune town hall in Botosani county, placed under judicial control by DNA, for bribery, managed to win the local elections. The poll was organized after the mayor chosen last summer died. On May 4, in several local administrations in the country where there were no certain local elected officials.
Neculai Șchiopu, the new mayor of the Neculai Șchiopu/Facebook photo basket
In Coșula commune, Botosani county, on May 4, there were partial local elections. The locals were called to the ballot box to choose their mayor. The post remained vacant after the former mayor, Mircia Acatrina, died only a month after winning a new term, in the local elections in the summer of 2024.
Deputy Mayor suspected of taking bribes
At the elections on Sunday, May 4, 2025, most votes were obtained by Neculai Șchiopul, the PSD candidate at the Coșula City Hall in the attention of DNA and under judicial control, suspected of taking bribes.
Until the elections on May 4, Neculai Șchiopu fulfilled the position of deputy mayor of Coșula commune. He also assured the interim after the death of Mayor Mircia Acatrina. On April 7, 2025, about one month before the local elections, Neculai Șchiopu was jumped by DNA and taken to hearings in Suceava.
Anti-corruption prosecutors suspect him to take bribes. After the hearings, the criminal action was set in motion, and the deputy mayor from Coșula came under judicial control. According to a DNA statement, Neculai Șchiopu would have requested from an economic agent who had a public works contract in Coșula commune building materials worth over 30,000 lei.
“In this case, the criminal action and the measure of judicial control, starting with April 7, 2025, for a period of 60 days, against the defendant Șchiopu Neculai, was also to be moved., Deputy mayor of Coșula commune, Botoșani county, for committing the crime of bribery. (…) On October 1, 2024, in connection with the fulfillment of the duties regarding the development of a public works contract in Coșula, Botoșani county, the defendant, to the commercial company that executes the respective contract, the remittance, for another, of some materials of over 30,000 lei ”is shown in the DNA statement of April 7, 2025.
Of DNA -investigated deputy mayor, mayor with a majority of votes
The peak, the day before he was raised and taken to hearings, Deputy Mayor Neculai Șchiopu announced his candidacy for Coșula City Hall, being supported by the PSD.
That is, from the interim to become mayor with documents. Neither the DNA investigation, the allegations of bribery nor the judicial control stopped the deputy mayor in submitting their candidacy and campaigning in the whole commune. In fact, there is no legal stop to apply or to exercise the position of mayor. And this under the conditions in which the deputy mayor is still planning the presumption of innocence.
The problems with DNA did not impress the locals in the basket. Neculai Șchiopu won the choices with a comfortable majority. More precisely, it obtained 712 votes, ie 64.14% of the electorate preferences. “By your vote, you offered me the honor of becoming the mayor of our dear commune. It is a huge responsibility that I will carry with dignity, seriousness and respect for each of you”, He told the voters, the new mayor of Coșula.
