site.btaFormer NATO Deputy Secretary General Geoana's Son-in-Law Extradited from Turkiye to Be Handed Over to Romanian Authorities

Ionut Costea, son-in-law of former NATO Deputy Secretary General and former Romanian presidential candidate Mircea Geoana, has been extradited from Turkiye and is expected to be handed over to Romanian authorities, the Romanian Ministry of Justice said on its official Facebook page.

A Bucharest court has issued an order for the execution of a six-year prison sentence for Costea, Romanian media reported.

The 64-year-old, who is also the former president of Romania’s EximBank, was internationally wanted after being sentenced to six years in prison for taking bribes in the rehabilitation of the Bucharest-Constanta railway line. Costea fled the country after receiving the sentence.

Costea was finally sentenced on May 5, 2023. He was declared internationally wanted after he was not found at his permanent address. In the same case, former Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu (National Liberal Party) was sentenced to 7 years and four months in prison. According to the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, the Austrian company that rehabilitated the Bucharest-Constanta railway line paid nearly EUR 20 million in bribes to several officials in Romania. The case dates back to 2005-2017.