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20. 06. 12. - 21:00

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20. 06. 12. - 21:00

Ex PM Adrian Nastase to serve two years in prison for corruption

Michael Leidig

The former Social Democrat Premier has been sentenced tonight (Weds) by Romania’s highest Court to two years in prison for corruption. Adrian Nastase is the highest ranking Romanian politician to go to prison on corruption charges.
Tonight, the High Court of Cassation and Justice overturned a previous sentence according to which Nastase was sentenced two years in the “Quality Trophee” case, without serving the prison time. Other five defendants tried in the same case were sentenced to five or six years in prison. Nastase will challenge the sentence to the European Court of Human Rights, according to his lawyer Adrian Miclescu.

Nastase was charged by the Anti-Corruption prosecutors of financing his 2000 presidential campaign with funds obtained from of a conference with entrance fee that his campaign staff organized, called the “Quality Trophee”.

The former PM, one of Romania’s top and very influential politicians who previously held the office of Foreign Minister and of Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies as well, always claimed his innocence.

Nastase, the current president of the Social Democratic Party National Council, who has been convicted of corruption in a second case and acquitted in the third, said the charges against him were manufactured and claims not to be responsible of any wrongdoings. He says he is a victim of President Traian Basescu’s revenge. The two competed in the 2000 presidential elections when Nastase lost.

The sentence took aback the Social Democrats of Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who suffered a new blow in the war with Traian Basescu.

Earlier today, Ponta warned his cabinet to expect more low-blows and ruthless attacks from Basescu, who was left without political support following the fall of Dem Libs-led cabinet in late April.

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