The Minister of Justice, Alina Gorghiu, stated on Friday that all the institutions involved in finding out the truth about the exploitation of some disabled people in three old age homes in Voluntari have an obligation to provide answers to society.
"I am a woman, a mother, the minister of justice! There is no quality in which I am not outraged that all those old people from the centers that are now the subject of a criminal investigation were mistreated, humiliated, starved, beaten. There are many institutions that, in a way clearly, haven't done their job until now. And not since yesterday, the day before yesterday, although their role was precisely that of verifying compliance with the legal conditions established to protect the life and health of the vulnerable. There will also be individual responsibilities, many will defend themselves, even though they had the obligation to come out of the shadows and do what was necessary, humanly: to tell the truth", declared Alina Gorghiu in a statement sent to AGERPRES.
She specified that, during the day of Friday, she discussed with the chief prosecutor of DIICOT, Alina Albu.
"In February of this year, the file was registered at DIICOT, it was an accelerated procedure in a very complex case. There are 26 defendants in this file. I was assured that, in a short time, we will also see the solution in this case. All the institutions involved in finding out the truth in this case have the obligation to provide society with answers, to communicate transparently. Such situations, with the elderly and sick kept in inhumane conditions, must not be repeated," said the minister of justice.
On Tuesday, almost 100 elderly people were rescued by police officers and DIICOT prosecutors, following searches of three old age homes in Voluntari, where the elderly, many with disabilities, were beaten, starved and put to forced labor.
According to the investigators, starting from November 2020, in Ilfov county, two organized criminal groups were allegedly established, for the purpose of exploiting people with disabilities or in vulnerable situations, the exploitation of the victims being carried out by subjecting them to inhuman or degrading treatments, by exploiting unpaid work, through coercion and physical violence.
Also, the exploitation was allegedly carried out by the lack of sufficient and nutritionally adequate food, by the lack or non-administration of medical treatment appropriate to the diagnosis of each beneficiary, by the lack of care and ensuring the hygiene of the beneficiaries who did not have the physical/mental capacity for self-care, at the same time as their care in a state of servitude to the members of organized criminal groups, in order to obtain unjust patrimonial benefits for the leaders of the groups and for the other members. AGERPRES