The Foundation For The Defense Of The Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS) has issued a call for a criminal investigation, citing the death of a resident of an illegal care home in Voluntari and the subsequent discovery of other elderly individuals held in inhumane conditions. FACIAS has referred the case to the Public Prosecutor's Office at Buftea District Court, requesting a criminal investigation to be initiated with the objective of identifying and holding accountable the individuals within the authorities who were obliged to supervise and carry out the necessary checks in a timely manner to detect all care providers of elderly care services carrying out illegal activities.
A subsequent investigation on the 15th of February 2025 revealed that the Ilfov County Agency for Social Payments and Inspection had discovered an establishment operating without the necessary authorisation. The facility in question was found to house 11 elderly individuals, with the investigation highlighting substandard conditions. The investigation found that the facility's rooms were overcrowded, lacked a fully operational heating system, and lacked adequate medical care. Additionally, it was discovered that the facility was using medications that had expired several years prior.
Although the authorities ordered the closure of the center and the relocation of the elderly, the measure was not respected. On February 24, 2025, a new check revealed that six of the evicted elderly had been returned to the facility by their relatives, and the illegal activity continued. The inhuman conditions remained unchanged, and on the same day, a resident who had refused admission and returned to the site died on the way to hospital.
FACIAS called for an investigation to verify whether DGASPC Ilfov has fulfilled all its control and supervision obligations and what were the reasons that allowed the activity carried out by the center in Voluntari to perpetuate and endanger the lives of residents.
In the complaint submitted to the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Buftea District Court, FACIAS emphasizes that there are indications that justify the reasonable suspicion that persons from DGASPC Ilfov are guilty of negligence in service, by not having carried out the necessary controls on the illegal center in Voluntari in time. At the same time, FACIAS points out that the elderly care center carried out activities without legal authorization at least in January-February 2025, constantly maintaining an illegal practice of providing social services. Moreover, continuing the activity even after the closure of the facility and housing the elderly in unsanitary conditions without adequate medical care contributed to the deterioration of their health and ultimately to the death of one of the hospitalized persons.
FACIAS considers that this situation represents a serious violation of the rights of vulnerable people and has asked the Buftea Prosecutor's Office to launch an urgent criminal investigation to establish responsibilities and sanction those responsible.