Justice and Corruption
2014 promises to be a busy year for Romanian justice. This was confirmed, on the first days of the year, by a prison sentence received by a former prime minister.
Florentin Căpitănescu, 08.01.2014, 13:19
Many high-profile Romanians, particularly politicians, will continue to appear in courts this year as well. Romania’s Social Democratic prime minister between 2000-2004, Adrian Nastase, was the first to do so. Just days ago he was sentenced by the High Court of Cassation and Justice to 4 years behind bars in a corruption case.
Another prison sentence he received in a separate case in 2012 was a first for the Romanian judiciary, which had had little to show for itself in terms of fighting high-level corruption since the fall of communism. Adrian Nastase, a top-level dignitary at a time when Romanian politicians seemed above the law, was proved to have claimed and received undue benefits put at 630 thousand euros.
Although the most prominent, the Nastase affair is not the only one to grab public attention early this year. A Conservative Deputy, Gheorghe Coman, was taken under preventive custody in a case in which prosecutors with the National Anti-corruption Directorate accuse him of abusing his office in order to get undue benefits.
On the other hand, a well-known surgeon, Serban Bradisteanu, was cleared of bribery charges, after he was accused of getting 4 million euros in grease money in exchange for rigging procurement procedures in penitentiary hospitals.
Other high-profile figures may also receive final sentences very soon, possibly this very month. This is the case with former Transportation Minister Relu Fenechiu, sentenced by a court of first instance to five years in prison as an accessory to abuse in office. Between 2002 and 2005, companies owned by Fenechiu allegedly sold used electricity equipment to a State-owned company for the price of new equipment, with estimated damages reaching 1.3 million euros. Fenechiu resigned in July 2013, after the court of first instance passed the ruling. Also this month, a court case involving the former Justice Minister Tudor Chiuariu and former Telecoms Minister Zsolt Nagy, is expected to come to an end. The two are suspected of helping in the illegal transfer of a building from the Romanian Post Corporation to a private company.
A judicial nightmare may also be in store for the incumbent deputy PM, Liviu Dragnea, suspected of electoral fraud, or for former Economy Minister Varujan Vosganian, accused of undermining the national economy. Adding to this image are many local officials, ranging from small village mayors to chairmen of County Councils, all facing corruption-related charges.
