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Top Romanian judges accused of influence peddling for jewels

10 October 2011, 14:52 CET
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(BUCHAREST) - Two Romanian supreme court judges have been accused of influence peddling in return for jewellery, plane tickets and expensive restaurant dinners from a businessman, prosecutors said Monday.

The head of the supreme court's administrative litigation department, Gabriela Barsan, and a judge in the same department, Iuliana Pusoiu, "will be probed for influence peddling", anti-corruption prosecutors said.

"They allegedly received on several occasions presents from a lawyer and a businessman to intercede in favour of the latter", a statement added.

Prosecutors said the gifts included expensive jewellery, plane tickets, stays at hotels, parties at restaurants and the use of an apartment in Paris. The businessman and his lawyer are also accused in the case.

The new probe comes 18 months after another supreme court judge was charged with graft and arrested with a Social-Democrat lawmaker.

"The wide scope of the investigation launched by anti-graft prosecutors is finally impacting institutions that caused huge damage to Romania as a whole", said Dan Turturica, the editor in chief of Romania Libera daily, referring to the reluctance of foreign investors to invest here due to a perception that the judiciary is flawed.

"A country where you can die even if you are right because you did not pay a judge will always be a second choice for foreign investors", he said in an editorial.

Romania has been called by the European Union to step up its fight against corruption.

In recent reports, Brussels has praised efforts to fight graft but criticised tribunals for lengthy procedures in corruption trials and light sentences.


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