A court in Ploiești on Tuesday approved the conditional release of former Romanian tourism minister Elena Udrea, who is serving a six-year sentence for corruption in the high-profile ‘Gala Bute’ case. The ruling, handed down by Judecătoria Ploiești on 1 July, may be challenged by prosecutors within three days and therefore is not yet final. Udrea has been held since June 2022 at the women’s penitentiary in Ploiești–Târgșorul Nou. Her eligibility for parole follows earlier court decisions deducting roughly eight months from her term to account for periods spent in detention in Costa Rica, Bulgaria and under house arrest. The 51-year-old politician remains in Ploiești County Emergency Hospital after gallbladder surgery performed on 29 June. Any release would occur only after her discharge and if the prosecution does not succeed in overturning the parole decision.