High-Profile Corruption Cases
The National Anti-Corruption Directorate is relentless in its efforts to combat graft.
Valentin Țigău, 18.08.2015, 12:58
In 2014 alone the National Anti-Corruption Directorate had 1,500 convictions, with ministers, MPs, magistrates and law enforcement officers on the list of indictees. High-profile corruption cases, such as that of Microsoft, involving nine ministers, the Lukoil or the EADS cases proved that, for the first time in its recent history, Romania was determined to hold accountable public servants for misuse of public funds, irrespective of the position they hold. In the last two years the Directorate has waged a relentless war against graft. On Monday, former Interior Minister Gabriel Berca was brought to court for influence peddling.
The same measure was imposed on former MP Mihai Banu and his son. According to anti-corruption prosecutors, Gabriel Berca used Mihai Banu to demand and receive large sums of money from a businessman. Also on Monday the court ruled in favour of the retrial of Mariana Rarincas case. Rarinca is accused of having blackmailed High Court Supreme Judge Livia Stanciu. Rarinca originally received a suspended three-year prison sentence.
The Court also decided that former anti-corruption prosecutor Emilian Eva remain in arrest pending his investigation. Emilian Eva is being charged with bribe taking in relation to the investigation of the illegal privatization case involving former MP Dan Voiculescu, who was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
The anti-corruption campaign has been recently mirrored by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration. The Agency is currently examining the financial statements of 300 citizens, of whom 70% had unwarranted revenues of over 1 million lei. The investigation will take six or twelve months to complete, depending on the amount of information required. Meanwhile, the Prahova County Police Inspectorate has also fallen under scrutiny. The head of this institution is being investigated for money laundering.
Similar investigations are being conducted at the School Inspectorates in Suceava, Bihor, Prahova and Braila counties, where a number of student transfers have been flagged as suspicious. Legal experts say the large number of corruption cases is due to various factors, such as external pressure and the willingness of some officials to see Romania move forward on the path of reforms.
