Romania Detains Son of Ex-President of Moldova

A Bucharest court on Wednesday placed Moldovan businessman Sergiu Lucinschi in custody for two months after he was arrested on charges of blackmail and influence peddling.

Sergiu Lucinschi, who also holds Romanian citizenship, is the youngest son of Petru Lucinschi, President of Moldova from 1997 to 2001.

He is suspected of getting a Romanian businessman to pay him 4 million euro to withdraw a criminal charge he had filed with the anti-corruption department and stop a prosecutor's investigation into the businessman.

On March 17, Lucinschi allegedly received a promise from the blackmailed businessman to pay him 2 million euro.

A police officer from Romania's anti-organised crime directorate, who apparently worked together with Lucinschi in the criminal scheme, was detained on Wednesday.

Romania is still considered one of the most corrupt states in the European Union, which it joined in 2007. The Balkan country has drawn repeated criticism from the European Commission for its failure to tackle the problem.

However, the number of high-ranking officials sentenced for graft has increased significantly lately.

Bucharest is hoping that the signs of progress noted by the European Commission will assist Romania's bid to join the EU's borderless Schengen zone.