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Romanian MEP faces new corruption charges

16 July 2012, 17:37 CET
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(BUCHAREST) - Anti-corruption prosecutors in Romania said Monday they had filed new charges against embattled European MEP Adrian Severin, who last year was accused of trading influence.

Severin was one of three MEPs named by Britain's Sunday Times newspaper last year as having pretended to be lobbyists and "offering their services" for sums of up to 100,000 euros ($122,000).

The charges announced Monday, which accuse Severin of entering into bogus consultancy contracts with Romanian firms, are part of a probe first launched by Romanian prosecutors in July last year.

"Proceedings were launched for a new offence of forgery and the use of forgeries that resulted in the illegal obtaining of general European community budget funds, with serious consequences," the anti-graft office said in a statement.

Severin was not immediately available for comment. He has previously denied wrongdoing in the case.

Prosecutors said the forgery had cost the European Parliament about 435,000 euros ($530,000).

Severin still serves as an MEP, though he is now an independent after he was booted out by his social-democratic party following the launch of criminal proceedings.

The two other lawmakers named in the scandal, Slovenian Zoran Thaler and Austrian Ernst Strasser, both resigned following the Times story.


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