Four defendants in Colectiv file imprisoned; all-points bulletin issued for fifth one

Four defendants in the Colectiv file were imprisoned, following the final conviction ruling handed down on Thursday by the Bucharest Court of Appeal, while an all-points bulletin was issued for the fifth one, who was not found at home, Agerpres reports.

"In view of the final ruling of the Bucharest Court of Appeal, in the Colectiv case, the Police General Directorate (DGPMB) of Bucharest Municipality - Criminal Investigation Service implemented five prison sentence warrants. One person went the headquarters of a police subunit, from where he was taken over and imprisoned, three other people were taken from their homes, and after completing the necessary formalities, were imprisoned," DGPMB informs.

Antonina Radu, one of the two firefighters from the Bucharest Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (ISU) convicted in the Colectiv file, was not found at home and thus a European arrest warrant was issued on her name, the Bucharest Police inform.

Former mayor of Sector 4 Cristian Popescu-Piedone, currently mayor of Sector 5, was definitively sentenced on Thursday by the Bucharest Court of Appeal to serving 4 years in prison for committing the crime of abuse of office in connection with the October 2015 tragedy at the Colectiv club, as a result of which 64 people died.

Initially, in the court of first instance - the Bucharest Court - Piedone had received 8 years and 6 months' imprisonment but the judges of Bucharest Court of Appeal admitted, on Thursday, the mayor's appeal and decided to reduce the sentence to 4 years' imprisonment.

In the same case, the owners of the Colectiv club were sentenced to between 6 and 11 years and 8 months in prison (in the court of first instance, the three had received 11 years and 8 months each):

* Paul Gancea - 6 years and 4 months in prison;

* Costin Mincu - 8 years in prison;

* Alin George Anastasescu - 11 years and 8 months in prison.

Also, George Matei and Antonina Radu, the two firefighters from the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (ISU) Bucharest who checked the Colectiv club without taking legal measures regarding the observance of fire-protection norms, were sentenced each to 8 years and 8 months in prison.