On the Misappropriation of Public Funds Meant for Romanians Abroad: Executioners of the Independent Press and Real Estate Sponsors of the Romanian Orthodox Church

The Romanian Diaspora Has Been Betrayed. Systematically. Cynically. With the Blessing of a State Institution That Was Supposed to Support It.

Between 2021 and 2025, the Department for Romanians Abroad (DRP) allocated nearly 300 million RON in non-reimbursable grants. Over 80% of this amount was transferred to the Romanian Orthodox Church (BOR) for real estate acquisitions in Italy, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other countries with Romanian communities.

The investigative publication Dela0, in a thoroughly documented report also cited by HotNews.ro, exposes the magnitude of this misuse of public funds: cathedrals, administrative headquarters, buildings, and land, all purchased with money that should have supported education, legal aid, Romanian language courses, independent media, cultural and social projects for the diaspora.

This type of funding, granted without an officially approved strategy and with minimal transparency contradicts the mission of the institution, turning DRP into a discretionary tool of political favoritism, to the detriment of Romanians living abroad.

We express serious concern that both the former DRP director, Gheorghe Florin Cârciu, and the current director, Cristina Lavinia Arnăutu, have maintained an opaque and partisan system of allocating public funds, fundamentally distorting the purpose of such grants.

The National Strategy for Romanians Abroad (2023–2026), financed with public money, was completely disregarded, despite clearly identifying the real priorities of the diaspora: education, consular services, legal support, and access to culture.

As an independent publication that, for over 15 years, has promoted culture, dignity, and the voice of Romanians in the West, Occidentul Românesc considers this a serious case of public fund misappropriation, a modern form of religious and political clientelism, undermining both the credibility of Romanian institutions and the image of Romania abroad.

We publicly demand:

• An independent audit of the DRP’s fund allocations between 2021 and 2025;

• Suspension of the current funding guide until an official, transparent, and diaspora-oriented national strategy is adopted;

• Publication of the full list of funded projects, with detailed justifications and exact amounts granted;

• Reform of the DRP and professionalization of its leadership team, through transparent, public competitions in line with the integrity standards of public service.

Romanians abroad need genuine support, not propaganda or clientelistic networks.
Occidentul Românesc remains faithful to the values it was built upon: editorial independence, civic responsibility, and respect for truth.

Sources (text and images): Dela0.ro & HotNews.ro

The Occidentul Românesc Team
The publication of Romanians in the Wes, with priority in the Iberian Peninsula
Independent, dignified, unaligned

Occidentul Românesc is an independent publication founded in 2010, dedicated to promoting Romanian values in the diaspora, especially in Spain and Western Europe. We publish continuously, with editorial accountability and no political or religious affiliations, offering articles, interviews, and investigations that reflect the real life of Romanian communities abroad.