Mircea Basescu to remain under preventive detention

Photo credit: (c) Grigore POPESCU / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

Mircea Basescu will be kept under preventive detention as the Constanta Court of Appeal on Thursday defeated his request to be prosecuted under house arrest.

The court take the same decision for co-defendant Marian Capatana.

The court's decision to keep Mircea Basescu and Marian Capatana under preventive detention is final.

The appeal was filed after late last week Constanta judges overruled Mircea Basescu and Marian Capatana's requests to have their preventive detention lifted and replaced with house arrest.

Mircea Basescu, the brother of President Traian Basescu, argues that he needs house arrest in order to be able to analyse the file drawn up on him and to build his defence.

The two's requests for having their preventive detention replaced by house arrest were filed after judges had rejected their requests for discharge under judicial monitoring.

Mircea Basescu was sent to court under preventive detention by prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) for influence peddling after having allegedly received 250,000 euros from members of the family of interloper Sandu Anghel, aka Bercea Mondial.

Co-defendant in the same case is Marian Capatana, accused of being an accomplice to influence peddling.

The two were placed under preventive detention on June 20, under a decision of the Bucharest Tribunal after Bercea Mondial's family made public several recordings showing the President's brother acknowledging having received money.

According to DNA, between February 20, 2011 and February 22, 2012, Mircea Basescu received the amount 250,000 euros from denouncer Florin Anghel through the agency of Marian Capatana in exchange for his promised interceding with the...

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