According to the Directorate for Anticorruption (DNA), prosecutors detained two university assistants and two medical students from Ovidius University in Constanța on September 5, 2026, following 26 raids across the region targeting an alleged bribery network for Anatomy exams. Investigators state that suspects demanded between 600 euros and additional amounts per student to fraudulently pass retake sessions, accumulating significant illicit payments.
DNA Detains Ovidius University Medical Faculty Staff and Students Over Anatomy Exam Bribes
Anti-corruption prosecutors in Constanța detained four individuals for 24 hours on September 5, 2026, after conducting widespread searches a day prior across 26 locations, including private homes, medical clinics, and university facilities. Prosecutors also detained two female students identified by their initials as I.A. and Z.I.D.
The investigation centers on the alleged rigging of promotion exams for the Anatomy department during the 2026 academic year. Official press releases show that the main targets face charges of taking bribes in continuous form across 15 separate material acts. Meanwhile, assistant professor Omeroglu Batuhan and the two student intermediaries are charged with complicity in taking bribes.
How the Ovidius University Exam Corruption Scheme Operated
According to DNA findings, the scheme involved coordinating with students signed up for retake sessions held between July 6 and July 12, 2026, and September 1 and September 6, 2026. Investigators explain that the three intermediaries identified at least 15 students who wanted guaranteed passing grades without actually taking the tests.
The price for academic fraud depended on the type of test, with colloquiums costing 600 euros and full exams reaching varying amounts per student. The DNA notes that total illicit gains surpassed specific thresholds. Intermediaries kept a variable commission for each facilitating act, while examiner Raluca Talpeș collected the remaining balance. During the September 4 raids, law enforcement seized various sums of unjustified cash.
Did you know? Ovidius University previously faced high-profile corruption scandals. In 2013, former rector Tiberius-Dănuț Epure was caught taking a 4,000-euro bribe for admission subjects at the Faculty of Pharmacy, leading to a suspended prison sentence in December 2015 by the Bucharest Court of Appeal, as documented by HotNews and G4Media.
Institutional Reactions and Legal Next Steps
Ovidius University management confirmed the presence of anti-corruption prosecutors on campus. University spokesperson Valentin Vanghelescu stated to HotNews that the institution provided all requested documents while ensuring full cooperation with the inquiry. Interim Education Minister Mihai Dimian told Euronews România that the ministry maintains a zero-tolerance policy for corruption in higher education and will support authorities in resolving the case.
DNA prosecutors announced plans to bring the four detained suspects before the Constanța Tribunal with a formal proposal for a 30-day preventive arrest. Judicial sources cited by HotNews indicate that investigators continue tracking other individuals connected to the scandal, and foreign students were among those summoned for hearings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was detained by the DNA at Ovidius University?
According to the DNA, investigators detained university assistants Raluca Talpeș and Omeroglu Batuhan alongside two female students, I.A. and Z.I.D., from the Faculty of Medicine in Constanța.
What are the specific charges against the suspects?
Raluca Talpeș faces charges of taking bribes in continuous form across 15 material acts. Omeroglu Batuhan and the two students face charges of complicity to taking bribes across the same 15 acts.
How much money was involved in the Anatomy exam scheme?
Prosecutors state that bribes ranged from 600 euros for a colloquium to other sums for an exam, with total documented gains exceeding established amounts.
What previous corruption cases occurred at Ovidius University?
In 2013, former rector Tiberius-Dănuț Epure was investigated and later convicted in 2015 for taking a 4,000-euro bribe concerning entrance exam subjects at the university’s Faculty of Pharmacy.
Stay Updated on Higher Education Investigations
Subscribe to our newsletter or explore our site for continuing coverage of anti-corruption actions in Romanian universities.