Over 1,000 prison leave permits have been granted to convicted murderers in the past two years, the head of the National Penitentiary Administration (ANP), Geo Bogdan Burcu, said on Tuesday. He acknowledged that he personally approved the most recent three-day leave granted to Turkish businessman Abdullah Atas, who failed to return to Rahova Penitentiary, where he was serving a 22-year and 10-month sentence.
In an intervention on broadcaster Digi24, the ANP chief presented figures on the number of inmates convicted of violent crimes who were allowed to leave prison for one day or more based on such permits.
"From the available centralized data, the total number of prisoners convicted of murder, aggravated murder, attempted murder, attempted aggravated murder, murder under particularly aggravating circumstances - there were 525 one-day permits in 2024, and 442 in 2025. Permits longer than one day in 2025 were 98. We proposed to use electronic monitoring bracelets for those who work outside the penitentiary or who benefit from these permits to leave the penitentiary. We intend to purchase about 6,000 bracelets (...) In principle, we follow the standards of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and ECHR recommendations, which provide for progressive measures of contact with the community even in the case of long sentences, including by granting permits to leave the penitentiary. Of course, the ANP could refuse to grant leave permits for any of the prisoners and all risks would be cleared. But we, as an administration, want to return to society better people than they were at the time of their conviction. (...) That's what we all wanted, so that prisoners, even murderers, when they return to society do not commit other crimes," Burcu explained.
The ANP head confirmed that he approved Atas's leave request despite a negative opinion.
Atas has been in the penitentiary system since 2015 and, according to Burcu, "throughout this ten-year period, 2015 - 2025, he had a consistently positive behavior, was constantly rewarded for his involvement in productive, educational and social reintegration activities, participated in community outings and therapeutic activities."
Atas was serving a 22-year sentence for murder at Rahova Penitentiary after, in 2015, he ran over a Road Brigade police officer who attempted to stop him for a traffic check.
The businessman was granted a short leave and failed to return, and is now considered an escapee.
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