President Klaus Iohannis is required to return approximately €300,000 received as rental income, according to a final decision made on Wednesday by the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The initial sum of €260,000, which the president must return, has been increased by additional amounts such as penalties and taxes. The money will be recovered by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF).
The court’s decision concerns a legal dispute opened in 2016 over the inheritance of a property in Sibiu, located at 35 Gheorghe Magheru Street, which belonged to Carmen Iohannis and the Baștea family.
Rodica Baștea contested the rulings of lower courts, which had ruled that this property belonged to the Romanian state as of September 6 last year. The case was filtered through the High Court, which accepted the appeal on June 18 this year and set a hearing date for Tuesday, September 24.
The High Court’s decision dismissed Rodica Baștea’s appeal against a ruling from the Alba Iulia Court of Appeal. With this decision, the Romanian state can now recover approximately €300,000 that Klaus Iohannis had collected as rent from two properties purchased from the Baștea family. One property is on Gheorghe Magheru Street in Sibiu, and the other was a commercial space on Nicolae Bălcescu Street.
A notary in Sibiu must now begin the inheritance process, declaring the Romanian state the owner of the properties. If President Iohannis does not pay the amount owed, the state may enforce a seizure of assets.
The case stems from a series of legal battles over properties inherited by the Romanian state after the deaths of previous owners. Despite multiple legal challenges, the courts have consistently ruled against the Iohannis family, leading to the current final decision.
