Who are the gendarmes who took sick leave to go and fight as mercenaries in Congo. How the authorities caught them

2027 readings

Three gendarmes from the Special Action Group of the Bihor Gendarmerie have become the focus of a corruption investigation after they used fictitious medical certificates to miss work while serving as mercenaries in the Congo.

They are Platoon Adjutant Ciprian Mladin, Platoon Adjutant Andrei Purge and Platoon Major Cătălin Miheș, non-commissioned officers known both for their involvement in national tactical actions and for their volunteer work. In the Congo, the gendarmes worked as “private military contractors” in the mercenary army coordinated by Horațiu Potra, a former mercenary in the Foreign Legion, who in the meantime became a businessman and controversial politician, shows eBihoreanul.ro

Mladin, Purge and Miheș came to the attention of the authorities following a tragic incident in Congo, in which two Romanians died. The investigation initiated after this event revealed that the three from Bihor used medical leaves for fictitious illnesses, while collecting both sickness allowances from Romania and substantial salaries for the mercenary activity, approximately 5,000 dollars per month. “They were held in the arms of their bosses”, said sources close to the investigation, pointing out that other gendarmes in the country who were temporarily involved in Potra’s army suspended their activity through unpaid leave, some of them even being transferred to the reserve.

The investigation shows that between 2023 and 2024, the three managed to accumulate 90 days of sick leave and 36 working days of vacation. According to legal procedures, medical leaves of up to 90 days are approved at the level of the unit, in this case the County Gendarmerie Inspectorate (IJJ) Bihor, led by colonel Ioan Bogdan and his first deputy, colonel Claudiu Seica. If the medical leave exceeds 90 days, the approval is made by a medical-military expert commission from the “Avram Iancu” Military Hospital, but the investigation showed that Mladin, Purge and Miheș never appeared before a such commissions.

Horațiu Potra – the leader of the Congolese mercenary army

The coordinator of operations in Congo, Horațiu Potra, is a former mercenary active in the Foreign Legion, involved over the years in various conflicts in Africa. Potra currently manages a base of around 1,000 Romanian security agents, paid by the Congolese government to train troops fighting the M23 rebels. According to a TVR report, “Romanians are in Congo since the end of 2022”, and the troops trained by Potra are mainly composed of mercenaries with military experience, including former members of the Romanian special forces.

After a long career as a mercenary and security contractor in Qatar, Chad and Congo, Potra also entered politics, running for mayor of Mediaș in the 2024 local elections. He is currently running for a seat in the Chamber of Deputies on the list of the Independent Social Democratic Party.

The reaction of the Bihor Gendarmerie Inspectorate

The spokeswoman of the Bihor Gendarmerie, Alina Ștefan, sent a brief statement: “The Bihor County Gendarmerie Inspectorate was requested by the DNA, through an ordinance, to hand over some documents in view of a file that the above-mentioned institution instruments it. Also, at this moment, at the headquarters of the Bihor County Gendarmerie Inspectorate, no searches are carried out by the competent bodies of the General Anticorruption Directorate”, assuring that the institution “collaborates with the criminal investigation bodies and every time we are asked to do so officially information that can elucidate such situations, we will make available, as an emergency, all the requested data”.

The officers of the General Anticorruption Directorate (DGA) Bihor carried out searches on Tuesday at the residences of the three gendarmes and at the headquarters of the Bihor Gendarmerie, picking up documents from the management’s offices. Investigators are investigating allegations of corruption, including bribery, abuse of office, intellectual forgery and forgery, led by a prosecutor from the Military Corruption Crimes Unit. The DNA prosecutors confirmed the investigation, stating that “domicile searches are being carried out in three locations located within Bihor County, representing the homes of individuals, active military personnel at the level of the County Gendarmerie Inspectorate “Brigadier General Anton Berlescu” Bihor”.

In its statement, the DNA confirmed the suspicions of corruption in the case of the three Bihor gendarmes, emphasizing that the investigation focuses on “suspicions regarding the commission of corruption crimes and crimes similar to corruption, during the years 2023 and 2024”.