Bucharest Mayor and former Sector 6 mayor Ciprian Ciucu is being investigated by Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) over allegations that he received electoral advertising and political consulting services in exchange for supporting administrative procedures related to a real estate project promoted by individuals close to Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi. The alleged acts were reportedly committed while Ciucu was serving as mayor of Sector 6.
Documents and urban planning records reviewed by NewsCenter.ro indicate that the investigation originated from a separate case involving Romania’s gambling industry, in which Odeta Nestor and TV personality Denise Rifai (Rifai Mariam-Denise, who reportedly also holds Bulgarian citizenship) became involved.
Update: NewsCenter.ro initially reported that the electoral promotion allegedly received by Ciprian Ciucu had been displayed on billboards belonging to an online casino. However, representatives of the gambling industry later assured the publication that the Mayor of Bucharest did not receive electoral promotion on billboards owned or leased by an online gambling operator.
NewsCenter.ro reconstructed the case through its own journalistic investigation. The information was obtained through the analysis of official documents, corporate registry records, DNA statements, and commercial documents relating to companies active in the gambling sector.
According to DNA prosecutors, Ciprian Ciucu is currently under judicial supervision on suspicion of accepting bribes in a case that was separated from a broader investigation that initially targeted the activities of gambling operators.
TV personality Denise Rifai involved in corruption investigation
According to the DNA statement, one of the individuals involved in the investigation is Mariam-Denise Rifai. The information released by prosecutors indicates that several persons identified by the initials R.D.M. appear in the case file. In one instance, R.D.M. is described as a “person without special procedural status” investigated for the offense of bribery.
In other sections of the statement, R.D.M. – identified as Denise Mariam Rifai — is referred to as a defendant.
Representatives of Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) told NewsCenter.ro that they could not provide further details because they did not have access to that information.
“Only the case prosecutor knows those details. I do not even know all the names you are asking about,” was one of the responses received by NewsCenter.ro from DNA officials.
Denise Rifai was summoned to DNA headquarters on Friday, June 19, and arrived at approximately 6:00 p.m.
Documents reviewed by NewsCenter.ro show that she is publicly known as Denise Rifai and that her full name appears in several corporate records linked to companies controlled by her family, including A.G.-Chim Trading-Company SRL, Be.Agchim SRL, and Communication Consulting Group SRL.
The initials and identity referenced by DNA match the information identified by our publication in official documents.
According to information obtained by NewsCenter.ro, Denise Rifai began cooperating with investigators after her close associate, Odeta Nestor, became the target of an investigation concerning activities in the gambling industry. Denise Rifai has denied filing the complaint that triggered the case. Nevertheless, she appeared at DNA headquarters on Friday.
Odeta Nestor allegedly offered bribes to an ONJN employee who cooperated with DNA
DNA alleges that Odeta Cristinela Nestor repeatedly provided money to an official from Romania’s National Gambling Office (ONJN) in exchange for accelerating or delaying administrative procedures and obtaining access to non-public information.
According to prosecutors, between April 2 and April 6, 2026, Odeta Cristinela Nestor “facilitated the acceptance, on April 7, 2026, by a public official within the National Gambling Office, acting as an authorized collaborator in the case, of the promise of a total sum of €100,000 made by Denise Rifai on behalf of and in the interest of an economic operator active in the gambling industry, with the purpose of ensuring that inspections initiated by the institution would be concluded in a manner that would prevent the imposition of any of the supplementary sanctions provided by Government Emergency Ordinance No. 77/2009.”
In short, according to the DNA statement, Odeta Nestor allegedly facilitated the bribe, while Denise Rifai allegedly acted on behalf of the gambling operator involved in the investigation.
It should also be noted that, according to information obtained by NewsCenter.ro, Odeta Nestor was allegedly not intervening on behalf of the online casino businesses she is associated with, but rather for two Bulgarian companies operating in Romania. These include the largest slot machine operator currently active on the Romanian market and an online betting company that has sponsored Dinamo Bucharest.
DNA further stated:
“Regarding the promise of the €100,000 benefit offered as a bribe, it was established that on June 8, 2026, and June 17, 2026, Denise Rifai (R.D.M.) allegedly delivered €45,000 and €5,000 respectively, while on June 16, 2026, she allegedly delivered the remaining €50,000, at which point investigators documented the offense in flagrante delicto.”
The ONJN official identified in the statement as an authorized collaborator of the investigation is believed to be an employee of the institution’s Control Directorate. As NewsCenter.ro does not have definitive confirmation of the individual’s identity, we have chosen not to publish the name.
On June 17, 2026, Odeta Cristinela Nestor was placed in pretrial detention for 30 days.
Odeta Nestor allegedly needed permits for real estate projects
According to information obtained by NewsCenter.ro, Odeta Nestor allegedly facilitated meetings between several businessmen and Sector 6 Mayor Ciprian Ciucu in order to obtain urban planning permits and approvals connected to a real estate project reportedly linked to Israeli investors.
Prosecutors have not disclosed the identities of the businessmen involved, nor have they specified whether they have any connection to the gambling industry.
According to G4Media, Sector 6 City Hall issued a building permit to Safe Home Invest SRL for the construction of a three-level parking structure (Basement + Ground Floor + First Floor), part of the “Ajustorului Residence” residential complex.
The publication reported that this appears to be the only urban planning authorization issued in favor of the company between December 2025 and the moment prosecutors officially announced the opening of the separate criminal investigation.
Corporate records of Safe Home Invest SRL show that ownership is equally divided among three Romanian citizens of Jordanian origin. According to the cited source, they were identified as Moh D Nabeel Kh A, Moh D Moh, and Yuan Ștefan. Their names closely resemble the initials mentioned in the DNA statement (MNKA, MM, and SI). However, one of the shareholders strongly denied any involvement in the criminal case.
Speaking after leaving DNA headquarters, Ciprian Ciucu stated that he is innocent and that he never requested money. He added that if anyone had sought benefits in his name, they had done so without his knowledge. Ciucu did not respond to questions sent by NewsCenter.ro.
Nestor represents the business interests of Teddy Sagi
Odeta Nestor holds a senior position within the business group controlled by Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi, owner of one of the largest gambling empires in Eastern Europe.
Corporate documents published by Winvia show that Nestor serves as the group’s Chief Business Development Officer and indirectly owns nearly half of Chranel Limited, one of the significant shareholders of Winvia Entertainment.
Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi controls Winvia Entertainment Group, one of Europe’s leading companies in the gambling and online entertainment sectors.
Documents published following the company’s listing on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange show that Sagi directly owns 73,062,980 shares, representing 69.5% of Winvia’s share capital, making him by far the group’s largest shareholder.
Through Winvia, the Israeli businessman controls a substantial segment of Romania’s gambling market. The group operates or holds interests in brands including Princess Casino, Luck Casino, Cashpot, Magnumbet, and Powerbet, spanning online gaming, casino operations, and sports betting activities.
The company’s admission document published in connection with its AIM listing on the London Stock Exchange identifies Romania as one of the group’s key strategic markets, alongside its prize-draw operations in the United Kingdom.
A central role in the expansion of Winvia’s Romanian business was played by Odeta Cristinela Nestor, the former president of Romania’s National Gambling Office (ONJN), who later became the group’s Chief Business Development Officer. Company documents show that Nestor also holds indirect interests in one of the entities listed among Winvia’s significant shareholders.
With an estimated net worth of approximately $7.1 billion, Teddy Sagi is internationally known as the founder of Playtech, one of the world’s largest gambling software providers. In recent years, he has expanded his footprint in Romania through Winvia, turning the company into one of the country’s leading gambling operators.
Controversies surrounding Teddy Sagi’s fortune
An article published on Medium under the title “Teddy Sagi: Architecture of a Fortune” describes the controversial rise of the Israeli billionaire who built one of the largest empires in the global gambling and technology industries.
According to the authors, Sagi’s success was driven not only by innovation but also by his ability to identify lightly regulated markets and capitalize on opportunities created by the rapid expansion of the internet economy.
The article recalls that Sagi was convicted in Israel during the 1990s on fraud and bribery charges and served several months in prison before returning to business and founding Playtech, the company that would become one of the most influential suppliers of software for the global online gambling industry.
According to the publication, Sagi’s fortune was built in several stages, beginning with online gambling, followed by electronic payments, technology investments, and later a major expansion into real estate. The authors argue that each phase financed the next, allowing Sagi to evolve from a controversial entrepreneur into one of Israel’s wealthiest businessmen.
The article further notes that, after consolidating his wealth, Sagi shifted much of his focus toward high-value real estate assets in London, Cyprus, and Dubai, reducing his direct exposure to the businesses that generated his first billions. The authors describe this transformation as a form of “risk management,” whereby more controversial activities were gradually replaced with investments viewed as more respectable by financial markets and the broader public.
