A woman accused of defrauding nearly Rs. 16 million by promising jobs in Romania without a valid licence from the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has been arrested after evading authorities for months.

According to the Divaina newspaper, the woman was arrested by officials of the Special Investigation Unit of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau recently.

The SLBFE had received 15 complaints stating that the suspect, who had previously worked in Romania, used her connections there to collect money from individuals by promising jobs but failed to deliver. 

Investigations were launched, but she evaded officers by moving between areas, including Piliyandala, Wellampitiya, Kolonnawa, and Kahathuduwa.

During the probe, four others who assisted her in the racket were arrested and produced before the court.

Investigators eventually used an undercover decoy to contact the suspect, arranging for her to sign employment agreements at a lawyer’s residence in Kolonnawa. She was arrested at that location.

After being produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court, she was remanded until March 3. 

Authorities are continuing investigations to determine if more individuals are involved in the scam. (Newswire)

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Two historic spiritual milestones were recently observed by the Sri Lankan Catholic community in Romania, reinforcing their faith and cultural identity while fostering unity and interfaith harmony within the Sri Lankan diaspora.

According to the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bucharest, St. Anthony of Padua was officially declared the Patron Saint of the Sri Lankan Catholic Community in Romania during a solemn Eucharistic celebration at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Bucharest, on 27th July 2025. The Mass was presided over by Metropolitan Archbishop of Bucharest, His Excellency the Most Rev. Dr. Aurel Percă and attended by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Romania, Madurika Joseph Weninger. The event took place at the invitation of the newly appointed Chaplain to the Sri Lankan Catholic community, Rev. Fr. K. Claude Perera, TOR.

During the celebration, a new community committee was also appointed to guide the religious and cultural life of the Sri Lankan Catholic diaspora in Romania.

On 15th August 2025, coinciding with the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Feast of Our Lady of Madu, a significant religious ceremony was held at St. George’s Cathedral in Timișoara. Ambassador Weninger, accompanied by Attaché at the Embassy, Ratheesparan, attended the celebration on the invitation of the Catholic Church in Timișoara, the Chaplain of Sri Lanka, and the local Sri Lankan Catholic community.

Before the liturgy, the Ambassador paid a courtesy call on Bishop of Timișoara, Dr. József-Csaba Pál and held meetings with Vicar General, Very Rev. Msgr. Johann Dirschl and Director of the Diocesan Archives, Dr. Claudiu Sergiu Călin, expressed appreciation for the Diocese’s continued support of the Sri Lankan Catholic faithful.

The Mass culminated in the solemn coronation of the statue of Our Lady of Madhu, performed by Bishop Pál, officially designating her as the Patroness of the Sri Lankan Catholic Community in Timișoara. A devotional procession followed, marked by traditional hymns, prayers, and strong community participation.

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bucharest stated that both events demonstrated the devotion, spiritual resilience, and cultural unity of the Sri Lankan Catholic community in Romania. The Timișoara celebration also included the participation of Sri Lankan Buddhist and Hindu community members, symbolizing interfaith harmony within the diaspora.

The Embassy further extended its sincere gratitude to the Archdioceses of Bucharest and Timișoara, their clergy, and the Romanian Catholic faithful for their warm welcome and spiritual solidarity. (Newswire)

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Calin Georgescu, a previously obscure far-right populist and Tiktok star, unexpectedly came in first place with 22.9 per cent of the vote during the first round of Romania’s presidential election on Sunday. 

An independent candidate, he has focused his campaign on criticising NATO and pushing for reduced support for Ukraine. 

Most polls predicted Calin Georgescu to win less than 10% of the vote in the first round of Romania‘s presidential election.

However, the 62-year-old obscure far-right populist shook the country’s political landscape by clinching the most votes and advancing to the second round to face off against reformist Elena Lasconi of the progressive Save Romania Union party.

He also beat the incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party, leaving the ruling party for the first time in Romania’s 35-year post-communist history without a candidate in the runoff, set for Dec. 8.

The surprising outcome has left many political observers wondering how most local surveys were off, putting Georgescu behind at least five other candidates.

Born in Bucharest in 1962, Georgescu holds a doctorate in pedology, a branch of soil science, and held different positions in Romania’s environment ministry in the 1990s, according to his website. Between 1999 and 2012, he was a representative for Romania on the national committee of the United Nations Environment Program.

Once a member of Romania’s far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, Georgescu left the party in 2022 after a period of infighting and being accused by colleagues of being pro-Russian and critical of NATO, the U.S.-led military alliance to which Romania belongs.

He supports the Romanian Orthodox Church and has sparked controversy in the past for describing Romanian fascist and nationalist leaders from the 1930s and 1940s as national heroes. 

According to local media, he has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as “a man who loves his country” and called Ukraine “an invented state,” but he claims not to be pro-Russian. He is married with three sons.

Many observers have attributed Georgescu’s success to his TikTok account, which has 3.7 million likes and 274,000 followers. He gained huge traction and popularity in recent weeks.

According to a report by Expert Forum, a Bucharest-based think tank, Georgescu’s TikTok account has had an explosion which it said “appears sudden and artificial, similar to his polling results.”

On Nov. 18, his TikTok account had garnered 92.8 million views primarily within the last two months, the report states, a figure that grew by 52 million views a week later, just days before the first-round vote.

“The most visible theme pushed by Calin Georgescu on TikTok in the last two months is peace, more precisely the need for Romania to stop supporting Ukraine in order not to involve Romania in war,” the report states.

Another TikTok account, solely featuring Geogescu content, and which had 1.7 million likes late Sunday, appears to have been deleted. It had posts with Georgescu attending church, doing judo, running around an oval track, and speaking on podcasts.

“We need TikTok to shed some light and actually investigate what is happening in Romania,” Madalina Voinea, of Expert Forum, told The Associated Press.

Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, says that Georgescu’s unexpected poll performance has less to do with his appeal and more due to voters growing tired of an out-of-touch political class.

“He’s just a guy who managed to use the social networks to make himself visible in a void for many Romanians who lost contact with political parties, at least with the elites in Bucharest,” he said. “The mainstream political parties have lost the ability to use these new platforms.”

He added that politicians from Romania’s traditional parties lacked messages of hope and no clear vision for their country ahead of the vote.

“The debates in these campaigns were very low in quality and ideas,” he said. 

His positions include supporting Romanian farmers, reducing import dependence, and ramping up local energy and food production. He also wants to establish a “sovereign” distribution model allegedly based on participatory democracy in which “Truth, Freedom and Sovereignty are the axes of values” in Romania’s development.

On foreign policy, NATO and European Union member Romania will respect its obligations, he states on his website, but only “to the extent that they will respect theirs” toward Romania. He also says Romania must play “a more consistent role” in international affairs.

The war in neighboring Ukraine, he said, highlights “the importance of diversifying external relations” and that Romania should strengthen its defense capabilities.

Romania’s presidential role carries significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security, foreign policy and judicial appointments. While it has limited executive power in domestic affairs, a president can veto parliamentary law proposals, and dissolve parliament if a prime minister’s appointment is rejected twice. (AP)

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Sri Lanka and Romania have held discussions on synergies for strengthening economic cooperation between the two nations.

The discussion took place when Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, who was on an official visit to Romania, paid a courtesy call on the Romanian Prime Minister, Ion-Marcel Ciolacu at the Victoria Palace in Bucharest on Wednesday (July 17).  

According to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Bucharest, Foreign Minister Sabry briefed the Romanian Prime Minister on the current economic situation in Sri Lanka, highlighting efforts towards economic recovery and stability and shared the progress made on the on-going reconciliation process. 

The Romanian Prime Minister acknowledged the significant contributions of the Sri Lankan workforce in Romania, recognizing their role in various sectors and the mutual benefits derived from this cooperation with the potential for further enhancing workforce mobility. 

Both sides emphasized on the need to developing resilient economic strategies and fostering sustainable growth through collaborative efforts by middle income countries like Sri Lanka. 

The meeting marked a significant step in strengthening the partnership between Sri Lanka and Romania, reflecting a shared commitment to economic growth and mutual support. 

Foreign Minister Ali Sabry was joined at the discussions by Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Romania, senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bucharest. (Newswire)

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The First Resident Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Romania Mariez Enid Madurika Joseph Weninger assumed duties at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bucharest on Tuesday (July 02).

According to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Bucharest, she was received on arrival at the Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest by a special representative from the Protocol Division of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Addressing the Embassy staff, Ambassador Weninger emphasized the importance of working as a team to advance national interests and the welfare of Sri Lankans, while also enhancing the friendly relations between Sri Lanka and Romania.  

Ambassador Madurika Weninger joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service (SLFS) in 1998 and served as the Consul General of Sri Lanka in Frankfurt, Germany.  Immediately before her appointment to Romania, she held the position of Additional Secretary, Ocean Affairs, Environment and Climate Change at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka.

She has also served as the Director General of  Economic Affairs and Africa Affairs Divisions and Director of the Americas and Europe, Middle East and Consular Affairs Divisions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka.  

Her previous diplomatic assignments included positions as Minister/Deputy Chief of Mission in the Sri Lanka Embassy in Austria and the Permanent Mission to the UN in Vienna, the United Arab Emirates as Counsellor/Head of Chancery, and as Second Secretary at the Sri Lanka Embassy and Permanent Mission in Italy.

She also served as a member of the Sri Lanka delegation to the Board of Governors Meetings of the IAEA, Vienna 2005 & 2013 to 2016 and served as a Member of the Advisory Group to the CTBTO, Vienna from 2014 to 2016.

She formerly had a successful career at the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC), Independent Television Network (ITN) and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) as a news anchor, interviewer, presenter and producer before joining the Sri Lanka Foreign Service.

Ambassador Madurika Weninger holds a Masters’ Degree in Advanced International Relations (MA) from the University of Vienna / Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.  She also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in International Relations from the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts (BA) from the University of Kelaniya. (Newswire)

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A foreign employment agency in Negombo has been found to have defrauded a large sum of money from the public by promising employment in Romania. 

A tense situation was reported before the foreign employment agency after the applicants were informed that their work permits had been cancelled. 

Speaking to the media, the affected individuals said they had made payments between Rs. 800,000 to Rs. 1 million to the agency in hopes of securing jobs in Romania.

Stating that there were over 120 applicants who had already made the cash payments, they said that after having been convened for a meeting by the agency on Sunday, they were informed that their work permits had been cancelled. 

The victims further claimed that the agency had informed them of this at a time when they had already received their offer letters and work permits and were preparing to face the relevant job-related interviews. 

Some of the victims revealed that they had been informed that they could only reclaim their money after the conclusion of a court case. (Newswire)

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A Sri Lankan internationally wanted for a murder committed in Bucharest in 1991, is to be brought to Romania on April 23 to serve a 19-year prison sentence.

According to the Romania Insider, the 53-year-old man from Sri Lanka was arrested in Germany at the beginning of this year, nearly 33 years after the incident. 

The man will be brought to the country by an escort of the Romanian Police.

“In December 1991, the man killed a foreign citizen, after which he tied him up and wrapped him in a carpet from his residence in Bucharest and transported him to the Crângași neighborhood, throwing him into Lake Morii. For this crime, he was sentenced to 19 years in prison,” the police press release states.

Receiving reports that the man was in Germany, the Romanian Police cooperated with its German counterpart and had the man arrested in Moers, Germany, on January 3.

After being brought back to the country, the individual will be incarcerated to serve the sentence. (Newswire)

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A 24-year-old man has been arrested for having defrauded Rs. 5,050,000 promising jobs in Romania. 

The Police stated that the suspect was arrested following a raid conducted near Karungale Road in Mundalama yesterday (26).

The suspect has been identified as a resident of the Bangadeniya area. 

The Police stated that the suspect will be produced before the Puttalam Magistrate’s Court today. (NewsWire)

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