The Bucharest Court has published its reasoning for the preventive arrest of former National Office for Gambling (ONJN) President Odeta Nestor, providing further detail on allegations that she brokered a €100,000 ($113,500) bribe intended to halt regulatory scrutiny over a casino jackpot worth more than €1m.
According to the court's reasoning, the alleged payment was intended to persuade the ONJN's Secretary General not to carry out mandatory checks or notify prosecutors and the National Office for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering regarding winnings of 5.42 million lei ($1.17m).
The ruling expands on an investigation by Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), which alleges that the ONJN Secretary General had already informed prosecutors about the matter and was cooperating with investigators before the alleged bribery attempt took place.
Court documents state that the alleged payment was arranged in instalments, with the final tranche forming part of a controlled operation on 16 June.
Prosecutors also accuse Nestor of offering a separate €500 payment to the Director of the ONJN's General Directorate for Informatization and Monitoring to accelerate the verification of documents.
In addition, she faces allegations of instigating the unlawful use of confidential information after allegedly gaining access to documents submitted to the regulator by a bank concerning the jackpot investigation.
Nestor served as the inaugural President of the ONJN following the regulator's establishment in 2013 and remained in the role until 2017.
Since leaving public office, she has worked as a gambling industry consultant and adviser.
The case unfolds as Romania continues to tighten oversight of its gambling sector. The ONJN remains responsible for licensing and supervising both land-based and online gambling operators, while successive amendments to the country's gambling legislation have increased compliance obligations, strengthened anti-money laundering requirements and expanded the regulator's enforcement powers.
The investigation is also likely to draw renewed attention to governance within the ONJN. Romanian authorities have introduced a series of reforms in recent years aimed at strengthening regulatory oversight, while the gambling sector has faced greater scrutiny over licensing, responsible gambling measures and financial reporting obligations.
Global Gaming Insider previously reported that Nestor had been identified by Romanian media as the individual referred to in court documents concerning alleged bribery within the ONJN. The investigation centred on claims that payments were offered to delay or prevent compliance checks linked to gambling operations.
The jackpot at the centre of the investigation was reported at 5,423,731.42 lei, equivalent to just over €1m
