By Luiza Ilie
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors said on Tuesday they had indicted former presidential candidate Elena Udrea on charges of accepting bribes and abuse of power from 2010 to 2012 while she served as regional development minister.
Seven other people were indicted alongside her in the case, including former economy minister Ion Ariton who was charged with abuse of power, the prosecutors said in a statement.
Romania is one of the European Union's most corrupt states but a crackdown on high-level corruption has earned prosecutors praise from Brussels and from foreign investors fed up with cronyism.
Udrea, a 41-year-old lawyer, is a centrist opposition lawmaker and close political ally of former president Traian Basescu. She ran for president in November but came fourth.
The prosecutors said there was evidence that while a minister, Udrea and people close to her took bribes from private firms in exchange for ensuring they would be paid on time for public works contracts.
The bribes outlined by prosecutors, some in Romania's leu currency and some in euros, add up to about 1.8 million euros ($1.9 million) at the current exchange rate.
Udrea has denied wrongdoing and repeatedly accused the country's anti-corruption prosecuting agency of bias and of having links to the secret services.
Prosecutors are also investigating her in other cases and she has been in custody since late February.
A large number of the corruption cases uncovered in recent years showed mayors, city councillors, lawmakers and ministers favoring certain companies for public works deals, and demanding a percentage of the contracts as bribes.
Prosecutors also alleged that Udrea used some of the bribes to finance the center-right party she belonged to at the time.
They also said she used 8.1 million lei ($1.95 million) of the regional development ministry's money to fund a private boxing event under the pretext of buying tourism advertising for Romania.
Ariton, now a senator, allegedly convinced ten state-owned companies to sponsor the private event for a total of 1.7 million lei ($410,000). State-owned firms are by law not allowed to sponsor private events. Ariton also denies wrongdoing.
According to World Bank figures, one in 10 businesses in Romania report being asked for bribes.
The famous show "Ovo" ("egg" in Portuguese), created in 2009 by Cirque du Soleil, is scheduled for April 23–26, 2026, at BT Arena in Cluj-Napoca. So far, the classic Cirque du Soleil show has delighted over 7 million spectators in 40 different countries. Despite its age, it has been reimaged, with a new set, acrobatic […]
The state-owned group Electrica is set to list the largest green corporate bond issuance in Romania, worth EUR 500 million, on the Luxembourg and Bucharest stock exchanges. According to the company's press release, the European Investment Bank is one of the key participants in the issuance. Overall investor demand at the final price exceeded the […]
Low-cost airline Wizz Air announced a major expansion of its operations in Bucharest, adding a second aircraft to its base at Băneasa Airport starting this October. The airline will relocate nine routes from Otopeni to Băneasa, five of which will be operated exclusively from the secondary airport. At the same time, six new routes will […]
The annual inflation rate in Romania rose to 5.7% in June, up from 5.45% in May, according to data published on Friday, July 11, by the National Institute of Statistics. It is the highest level this year. The consumer price index, compared to May, was 0.45%. The inflation rate from the beginning of the year, […]
A taxi driver who refused to pick up a passenger at Bucharest’s Henri Coandă International Airport on Thursday night, citing the rule that prohibits the second car in line from leaving the queue, was fined and had his professional license suspended, according to the Romanian Police. Local news channel Digi24...
Local authorities in Buzău County, in the south-east of Romania, announced the opening for traffic of the new bridge over the Buzău River on Friday, July 11. At over 1.3 km in length, it is the second-longest road bridge in the country and is part of the Lot 1 Buzău – Vadu Pașii of the […]
