“On 02.06.2026, military prosecutors within the National Anticorruption Directorate, the Service for conducting criminal investigations into corruption offences committed by military personnel, informed General Vlad Gheorghiță, Chief of the Defence Staff within the Ministry of National Defence (MApN), of his status as a suspect in a criminal case handled by this service, for complicity in the offence of usurpation of office, where the public official obtained an undue benefit for themselves or another.
Based on the evidence gathered so far, the military prosecutors established the following factual situation:
In July 2025, General Vlad Gheorghiță, Chief of the Defence Staff within the MApN, through acts of complicity, allegedly facilitated the issuance and signing by Lieutenant General Berdilă Iulian, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff for Operations and Training, of a request addressed to the Ministry of Education and Research regarding the increase of state-funded places at the National University of Physical Education and Sports in Bucharest – Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, exceeding the limits of legally assigned authority, given that the request fell exclusively under the competence of the General Directorate for Human Resources Management, a central structure within the MApN.
The official document issued under the above-mentioned circumstances allegedly led to the decision to increase by 20 the number of state-funded places, by promoting candidates initially admitted to tuition-paying places to newly created budget-funded places.
Through this mechanism, the legitimate interests of the Ministry of National Defence would have been harmed, affecting institutional relations, and, correspondingly, an undue benefit would have been created for the 20 candidates, by transferring them from tuition-based places to state-funded places, with the result that upon completion of their university studies, three of them would be appointed as officers within the Ministry of National Defence.
The suspect Vlad Gheorghiță has been informed of his procedural status and the criminal charges, in accordance with Article 307 of the Criminal Procedure Code.”
In turn, Mihai Șomordolea, former CSAT secretary, was indicted by the DNA Military Service a few weeks ago in the main case. According to Mediafax sources, military prosecutors reached the indictment of General Gheorghiță Vlad after conducting digital forensic searches and reviewing the phones of Mihai Șomordolea, who allegedly communicated with Gheorghiță Vlad.
The latest measure taken by DNA prosecutors: General Gheorghiță Vlad has been charged with the alleged offence of “complicity in usurpation of office, where the public official obtained an undue benefit for themselves or another.”
MEDIAFAX sources also claim that General Gheorghiță Vlad allegedly intervened at ANEFS in favour of a colleague’s daughter, specifically the daughter of General Mihai Șomordolea, former CSAT secretary, who has already been indicted in the case.
In January of this year, shortly after being informed of the DNA measure, President Nicușor Dan signed the decree placing Șomordolea in reserve and simultaneously dismissed him from his position as state counsellor.
Mihai Șomordolea had been appointed state counsellor on 9 March 2015. Between 2008 and 2015 he served as head of the CSAT Secretariat and, starting 9 March 2015, was appointed Secretary of the Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT).
Șomordolea participated in missions within the KFOR Command and served as Romania’s senior national representative in the Kosovo theatre of operations (2007–2008). He has been active within the Ministry of National Defence since 1987, holding various ranks from lieutenant to major general. Between 2003 and 2006 he was Head of the Planning, Organisation and Representation Activities Office within the General Staff and Officer 1 within Service S.
The Defence Staff issued a press release stating that it does not comment on the case involving General Gheorghiță Vlad: “At this moment, the National Anticorruption Directorate is carrying out specific investigative activities. In order not to influence ongoing actions, the Defence Staff cannot make further comments. The institution is fully cooperating with the competent authorities and will communicate information that can be made public, in accordance with the law.”
MEDIAFAX sources state that following searches and statements collected so far, General Gheorghiță Vlad allegedly drafted a document addressed to ANEFS (Ministry of Education) allowing the daughter of another general to study without tuition fees (state-funded place), which would facilitate her admission into the military system. The document was allegedly drafted by the Chief of Defence Staff, although it should have been signed by the Minister of Defence.
The same sources also claim that the other general has already been indicted in the same case.
MAI MULT MEDIAFAX
