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The sculptor Ioan Bolborea is accused of fraud, after 11 monuments made by him in the Capital, according to the researchers, are made of brass, and not bronze, as it appears in the contract.
The police estimate a damage of 18 million lei, produced in the period 2005-2016. Everything came to light after the “Lupoaica” located on the steps of the Bucharest History Museum ran out of line and was sent for repair.
For 11 years, the sculptor Ioan Bolborea promised to make the largest number of bronze monuments. However, the investigators claim that the artist used an alloy three times cheaper, causing the state 18 million lei damage.
Ciprian Romanescu, Capital Police Spokesperson:
“In the period 2005-2016, the suspect, as an author / artist, entered into several contracts with the Administration of Monuments and Tourist Heritage, through which he undertook to make several monuments for public forum, sculpture of definitive bronze material, but this would pursue its execution with inferior quality materials “
The researchers also claim that among his famous works made in this way are the Broken Violin located near the Colțea Hospital, the statue of Alexandru Ioan Cuza from sector 3 or the Statue of Emperor Trajan holding Lupoaica.
The City Council of the capital accuses the sculptor Ioan Bolborea of allegedly also forged the set of statues in front of the National Theater in Bucharest. The statues, depicting the writer Caragiale smoking and looking at his characters, had to be built in bronze, as ordered and paid for in 2009 by the municipality. However, even in this case, the sculptor would have used a cheaper alloy, namely brass. For all this work, the administration at the time paid 2,400,000 lei.
The forgeries were reportedly revealed in 2017, when the monument located on the steps of the Capital History Museum was vandalized. The wolf’s tail was then detached and the statue repaired.
Oana Zaharia, former director of the Administration of Monuments and Tourist Heritage:
“They realized that it was another material because of the way it was cut, and then I asked for their experience. A presentation was taken and an expert opinion was made at the Institute of Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals, according to which it turned out to be brass, not bronze. It turned out that there is a foundry facility provided by brass, that is, it is much easier to pour and with much lower losses. And the price difference per material is 1 to 3, but in art contracts the part main is copyright. “
The policemen took several statuettes, documents, but also sums of money in lei and euros from the sculptor’s house. We also went there, but we didn’t find Ioan Bolborea.
The artist could not be reached for comment. He was questioned and investigators drew his attention to the allegations: ongoing fraud, with particularly dire consequences.
