Bucharest, June 20 (IANS): Brother of Romania's incumbent President Traian Basescu was arrested Thursday for allegedly committing offence of trading in influencing a court case.
Mircea Basescu was arrested Thursday for 24 hours, Xinhua quoted the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) saying in a release. He was arrested by the DNA prosecutors and will be referred to the Bucharest Court with the proposal to hand him a 30-day preventive arrest term.
According to the same source, from Feb 20, 2011 - February 22, 2012, Mircea received 250,000 euros ($340,000) from a whistle-blower Florin Anghel, through an intermediary, in exchange for a promise that he would intervene with the judges hearing the case relating to the offence of Anghel's father Sandu Anghel to obtain a favorable solution.
Later, as Sandu Anghel was not released, his son remitted another 350,000 euros to the intermediary for the same purpose.
Of the total of 600,000 euros issued by Florin Anghel, Mircea Basescu received the amount of 250,000 euros, while the intermediary appropriated 350,000 euros.
The bribes did not seem to work. And, Sandu Anghel was sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison for attempted murder.