Romanian commission votes to halt construction next to cathedral

Published: 2006-10-25

BUCHAREST, Romania (CNS) -- A Romanian government commission investigating the legality of the construction of an office building near Bucharest's St. Joseph Cathedral has voted to halt all construction. The commission proposed a bill in mid-October to direct the government to halt the construction within 15 days. "The cathedral scandal," as it is known in the local Romanian press, involves an 18-story office building that is being constructed about 30 feet from the cathedral. By a 6-1 vote, the commission declared the land and construction site a public utility of national interest. Expropriation of the site and compensation to the property owners should immediately begin, the commission said. Millennium SRL -- a local firm representing American investors -- is doing the construction. The building was designed by New York-based Westfourth Architecture. The commission told the Ministry of Public Works to investigate the project and file criminal charges against those involved in securing illegal permits.

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