Doctor from Prahova, accused of issuing 198 false disability certificates, escapes trial through statute of limitations

Viorica Oniga, former president of the Prahova Disability Assessment Commission, will not face trial for the offences of which she was accused, as Prahova Tribunal has ruled that criminal liability has expired under the statute of limitations. The doctor had been referred for prosecution by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate as far back as 2014, on suspicion of having received tens of thousands of RON in exchange for issuing fraudulent disability certificates.

According to the investigation, these documents allegedly enabled a number of individuals to claim allowances and other entitlements to which they were not entitled, with the financial damage estimated by authorities at several million RON.

198 fraudulent certificates and 211 acts of misconduct in office

Viorica Oniga was referred for prosecution on charges of continuous bribery, continuous misconduct in office, and continuous intellectual fraud. According to the indictment, she allegedly issued 198 disability classification certificates and committed 211 individual acts of misconduct in office.

The former commission president was well known in Prahova County for issuing disability certificates to individuals who did not, in fact, have any disabilities. At the same time, people with genuine disabilities accused her of issuing them certificates valid only for a fixed period, forcing them to return periodically for reassessment.

Alongside Oniga, several accomplices are likewise benefiting from the expiry of criminal liability — among them, members of the Prahova Disability Assessment Commission, as well as individuals accused of acting as intermediaries in the bribes received by the doctor.

Damages exceeding three million RON

Prahova County Council, through the General Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection, joined the case as a civil party, claiming 3,073,726 RON, representing losses incurred through the payment of disability allowances, personal complementary budgets, and carer's allowances that were granted without legal entitlement.

According to the ruling of Prahova Tribunal, a letter from Prahova County Council dated 9 September 2025 communicated that, as of 1 September 2025, the total loss recorded by the institution stood at 1,508,311.39 RON. This sum represents funds unlawfully paid out as disability allowances, personal complementary budgets, and carer's allowances that have not yet been recovered through enforcement proceedings from the beneficiaries ordered to repay them under conviction rulings.

Defendants must pay the unrecovered damages

Prahova Tribunal upheld the civil claim and ordered the defendants to pay the sum of 1,508,311.39 RON to Prahova County Council, through the General Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection — the amount representing the portion of the losses not yet recovered from the beneficiaries ordered to repay them under conviction rulings.

The court also upheld the freezing order imposed by the DNA in 2013 on certain assets belonging to the defendants.

The ruling, handed down on Thursday, is not final and may be appealed within 10 days of notification.