Romania doubled high-level graft convictions in 2011

(BUCHAREST) - Romania's judiciary completed twice as many high-level corruption cases in 2011 than in 2010, convicting nearly 300 people including mayors and police officers, anti-graft prosecutor Daniel Morar said Monday.

"We can call 2011 the year of final convictions," Morar told a news conference.

A total of 298 people also including lawmakers and directors of public institutions were convicted for corruption offences, up from 154 in 2010, according to official figures.

Romania, a former communist dictatorship, rebuilt its judiciary from scratch after the fall of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu 22 years ago in order to fight widespread corruption.

The European Commission, which is monitoring the process, has praised the anti-graft prosecutor's office (DNA) for its efficiency in investigating high-level officials but slammed the courts over lengthy trials.

The rise in final convictions is a sign "of a new atmosphere" in the judiciary, Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu said at the DNA news conference.

Although 60 percent of the total were suspended sentences, he said that judges had "become more severe in recent months."

"The sentences in graft cases are meant as important messages for society as a whole," Predoiu said.

In 2011, the DNA sent more than 1,000 people, including a minister, dozens of mayors and more than 200 police officers, to trial to face charges of bribery, influence-peddling or tax evasion.