Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, prosecuted in USD 800k bribery criminal file

Former president of the Romanian Senate, former Prime minister (2005-2008) Calin Popescu-Tariceanu was prosecuted by the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) prosecutors in the criminal file where he is charged with bribe taking worth USD 800,000, the DNA said on Wednesday, in a release. According to the DNA release, sent to AGERPRES, the prosecutors with the National Anti-Corruption Directorate - Section for Combating the Offences assimilated to those of corruption ordered the prosecution of Calin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tariceanu, at the time of the deed Prime Minister of the Romanian Government, for a bribe taking crime. The anti-corruption prosecutors say in the indictment that, in the capacity above-mentioned, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu would have claimed (during 2007) and received (during 2008) indirectly from the representatives of an Austrian company, material benefits amounting to USD 800,000, consisting of the payment of consultancy services, in exchange for the exercise of its duties in such a way as to adopt a series of decisions favorable to the company, namely government decisions 199/2008, 634/2008, 1193/2008 and 1451/2008. "Prime Minister Calin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tariceanu's deed of demanding [material benefits] would have been carried out, between April and May 2007, indirectly, through a businessman (sent to trial in 2019 for complicity in bribe taking), who allegedly requested on behalf of the Prime Minister a 10 pct commission of the value of the additional acts/payments to a commercial contract conducted by the Austrian company in exchange for the adoption of government decisions that would allow this, according to the company's interests. Prime Minister Calin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tariceanu's bribe taking, during 2008, indirectly, was carried out by two actions of receiving (on 7 November 2008 of the sum of USD 500,000 and on 25 November 2008 of the sum of USD 300,000)," the investigators say. The DNA prosecutors say that the total amount of USD 800,000, representing the commission paid by the representatives of the Austrian firm, through offshore companies, would have been used for the benefit of the dignitary, to cover election campaign expenses, being transferred to a consulting company. In order to confiscate the object of the offence of bribery, a precautionary insurance seizure was ordered on immovable property belonging to Popescu-Tariceanu up to the amount of USD 800,000, equivalent in lei - 3,204,640 lei, the DNA prosecutors inform. The criminal file was sent for trial to the High Court of Cassation and Justice (Supreme Court, ed. n.) with the proposal to maintain the precautionary measures.AGERPRES(RO - author: Mihai Stoica, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - author: Maria Voican, editor: Simona Iacob)