RRI Live!

Listen to Radio Romania International Live

A high profile court case

A high-level corruption case involving espionage and treason among others has come to an end in Romania.

A high profile court case
A high profile court case

, 04.12.2013, 13:14

For some time now, the fight against corruption has ceased to be mere rhetoric in Romania. Perceived by opinion polls conducted a few years ago as the country’s most corrupt politician, the former Social Democratic prime minister Adrian Nastase has already served time in prison for corruption. Tens of other former and current ministers, MPs, prefects and mayors from across the political spectrum are being investigated, indicted and sentenced for crimes ranging from peddling in influence to bribe taking.



As a first, two such high-profile names were sentenced for treason on Tuesday. Former members of the coalition cabinet led by the Liberal Calin Popescu Tariceanu between 2004 and 2008, the former Conservative economy minister Codrut Seres and the former communications minister Zsolt Nagy, a member of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, were sentenced by the High Court of Cassation and Justice to 6 and 5 years in prison, respectively, in a case related to strategic privatisation.



A number of low-ranking government officials, two international consultants, the Bulgarian citizen Stamen Stanchev and the Russian Vadim Benyatov, were also sentenced to 11 and 10 years in prison for espionage. The international cast of this spy thriller features several other foreign citizens, including a Czech, a Turkish and a Romanian-born British national.



All these people were accused of creating a cross-border criminal group between May 2005 and November 2006 aimed at obtaining secret information about the privatisation of several Romanian strategic companies in the energy and telecommunications sectors in exchange for financial compensation. Their illicit activities targeted the privatisation of companies such as Electrica Muntenia Sud, Romaero, Avioane Craiova, the National Telecommunications Company and the Romanian Postal Service, the sale of a number of Petrom shares and the listing of 46% of Romtelecom’s shares.



Telephone conversations recorded by the special services have revealed secret deals over the privatisation of several energy companies. The former economy minister Codrut Seres, for example, even promised the Bulgarian consultant Stamen Stanchev to initiate a government decision to enable the sale of Petrom shares to the criminal group.



The rulings passed on Tuesday are not yet final and may be challenged, but experts say the court is not very likely to pass more lenient sentences during appeal.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced a 2-bln-EUR budget for the reindustrialization of the economy (gov.ro)
Today in the News Thursday, 19 September 2024

National plan for large industry

Concerned about the reindustrialization of the country, the Romanian government took important steps to complete the support scheme for the large...

National plan for large industry
Photo: MApN
Today in the News Thursday, 19 September 2024

B9 meeting in Bucharest

NATO must react to Russia’s incursions into the member states’ airspace, in the context of the war in Ukraine. This is the conclusion of...

B9 meeting in Bucharest
Roxana Mînzatu (Credits: gov. ro)
Today in the News Wednesday, 18 September 2024

Roxana Mânzatu, vice-president of the European Commission

At the end of tense negotiations, the head of the European Commission, the German Conservative Ursula von der Leyen, on Tuesday made public the...

Roxana Mânzatu, vice-president of the European Commission
Floods in Chişinău (Photo Radio Chişinău)
Today in the News Wednesday, 18 September 2024

Effects of floods in Europe

The storms that have affected Europe are now heading for Italy, where warnings of heavy rain, strong winds and flooding have been issued for much of...

Effects of floods in Europe
Today in the News Tuesday, 17 September 2024

Assistance for people affected by flooding

The state of alert has been instated in the counties of Galați and Vaslui, in eastern Romania, a region that bears the brunt of the latest flooding....

Assistance for people affected by flooding
Today in the News Tuesday, 17 September 2024

Partnership for the prevention of child trafficking

Romania is the first country in Europe to benefit from an American financial support package worth 10 mln USD, designed to improve the national...

Partnership for the prevention of child trafficking
Today in the News Monday, 16 September 2024

Severe flooding in eastern Romania

  Romania is on alert, relief camps have been set up and rescue operations launched after the flash floods of the past few days killed at least...

Severe flooding in eastern Romania
Today in the News Monday, 16 September 2024

F-35 jets for Romania

The US Department of State has approved the possible sale to Romania of 32 F-35 jets, as well as engines and other related equipment, in a contract...

F-35 jets for Romania

Partners

Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român
Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS
Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online
Institului European din România Institului European din România
Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti
Muzeul Național de Artă al României Muzeul Național de Artă al României
Le petit Journal Le petit Journal
Radio Prague International Radio Prague International
Muzeul Național de Istorie a României Muzeul Național de Istorie a României
ARCUB ARCUB
Radio Canada International Radio Canada International
Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti” Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti”
SWI swissinfo.ch SWI swissinfo.ch
UBB Radio ONLINE UBB Radio ONLINE
Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl
creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti
italradio italradio
Institutul Confucius Institutul Confucius
BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți

Affiliates

Euranet Plus Euranet Plus
AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters
Digital Radio Mondiale Digital Radio Mondiale
News and current affairs from Germany and around the world News and current affairs from Germany and around the world
Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona

Providers

RADIOCOM RADIOCOM
Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company