Bribe-giving case returns to haunt ex-PM Nastase

Social Democrat (PSD) deputy and former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase is again due to be sent to court, charged with receiving bribes and blackmail

June 2010 - From the Print Edition

This follows the decision by the Chamber of Deputies to authorise his prosecution in March last year.
Prosecutors from the Anti-Corruption Department (DNA) also indicted his wife, Dana Nastase, on the same charges.
In the same case, Irina Jianu, former inspector general with the State Construction Inspectorate, is charged with bribe-giving and money laundering.
Prosecutors allege that when Nastase was Prime Minister, he received expenses and services worth around 630,000 Euro.
According to prosecutors, Nastase received a bribe from Jianu in exchange for appointing her to run the State Constructions Inspectorate.
In addition, goods that the Nastases purchased from China are also under investigation. According to investigators, the paperwork for these items was falsely completed and the goods were brought into the country as imports made by Vertcon, a company based in Bacau County, whose management was pressured by Jianu into accepting the expenses related to this purchase.
When the goods arrived in Romania they were used by the Nastases to furnish their properties in Bucharest and Cornu, Prahova County, it is alleged.
The import of these goods was allegedly facilitated by Ioan Paun, a witness in the case who, in exchange, was appointed Romania’s general consul to Hong Kong.
Adrian Nastase was Prime Minister of Romania between 2000 and 2004. He lost the race to be President in late 2004 against Traian Basescu.