The Bucharest Court of Appeal on Wednesday suspended the decision of the National Broadcasting Council by which the license of the Realitatea Plus station had been withdrawn a day ago. The television controlled by the Păcuraru family can continue broadcasting, and CNA has five days to appeal the decision. The trial on the merits is judged separately.
The court’s decision comes after a day full of twists and turns. On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, the CNA voted to withdraw the Realitatea Plus license for 28 fines in the amount of over 600,000 lei, applied in 2024 and not paid within the legal term of six months. On Wednesday morning, the Board rejected a request for reconsideration by the station’s attorney by a four-to-three vote. A few hours later, the Court of Appeal suspended the entire decision.
What the law that triggered the conflict says
Article 57 of the Audiovisual Law no. 504/2002 provides that the license is withdrawn if the holder does not submit to the CNA, within six months from the application of a fine, proof of its payment. The Council relied on this text when it voted, on Tuesday, to withdraw the license for PHG Media-Invest SRL, the company that owns Realitatea Plus, and for Angus Resources SRL, which operates the Gold FM radio station.
Mircea Toma, member of the CNA, argued in Wednesday’s meeting that the law leaves no room for interpretation. “The law is the law and it says a very simple thing: when proof of payment of the penalty is missing for more than six months, this penalty is applied,” said Toma, according to HotNews.
Vasile Bănescu, another member of the Council, rejected the accusations regarding an alleged hunt against the post. “No one here made a hunt against anyone, but there is a law that constrains us,” Banescu said in the meeting.
What the Realitatea Plus defense argued
Lawyer Ioan Georgescu, who represents the post, claimed that the fines had been paid before the CNA vote and that the payment orders had been submitted to the Council. He asked for the decision to be revoked, citing a decision of the High Court of Cassation and Justice issued in a similar case.
Georgescu drew attention to the effects of closing the post on employees. “More than 300 employees work in connection with the Realitatea Plus program service. Maintaining the measure does not only affect society, but produces significant social, economic and even fiscal effects,” the lawyer submitted in the reconsideration request.
A CNA member, Georgica Severin, left the meeting on Tuesday at the time of the vote. On Wednesday, he said that “these two companies had the time and money and paid the fines before our vote yesterday” and that the decision “is not fair, normal or fair,” according to HotNews.
Who owns Realitatea Plus and why the decision matters
The audiovisual license for Realitatea Plus is owned by PHG Media-Invest SRL, a company whose sole partner is Daniela Madi Păcuraru, the wife of businessman Maricel Păcuraru. The group also holds the licenses for Sports Reality and Star Reality.
In March 2026, the ANAF Anti-Fraud Directorate announced that it had discovered indications of defrauding the state budget in the group of companies around the post, accusing the use of “artificial circuits” to avoid paying taxes. According to ANAF, the tax liabilities of companies around Realitatea Plus exceed 259 million lei.
The station was, in the last year, among the most watched news channels in Romania, along with Antena 3 and Romania TV, according to public audience data.
Protest in front of the CNA and political reactions
On Wednesday morning, approximately 150 people gathered in front of the CNA headquarters in Bucharest to protest against the license withdrawal. The gendarmerie mobilized troops and installed protective fences. The leader of AUR, George Simion, accused the Bolojan government of “putting a fist in the mouth of any opposition”, and former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu spoke of “a dangerous injustice”.
Alexandra Păcuraru, daughter of the boss and current AUR vice-president for the Dobrogea region, former producer at Realitatea Plus, announced even before the decision of the Court of Appeal that the battle is moving to court.
What’s next
The suspension ordered by the Bucharest Court of Appeal is a provisional measure, valid until the trial on the merits. The CNA has five days to appeal the decision. In parallel, the court will separately analyze the request to cancel the CNA decision submitted by PHG Media-Invest.
Until a final decision, Realitatea Plus remains on the post. For Romanians in the diaspora who watch the country’s news television via cable, apps or online platforms, the broadcast continues uninterrupted.
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