ROMANIA: Lawyers for former Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase ask Supreme Court to suspend a landmark corruption trial against him

Lawyers request that blackmail and bribe charges against former Romanian Prime Minister be dropped due to unconstitutional procedures. The first Supreme Court hearing against the former PM had been postponed for a month, because the main witness was not subpoenaed correctly Lawyers of Romania's former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase asked the Supreme Court on Thursday (March 15) to suspend a landmark corruption trial against him saying it was based on unconstitutional procedures. Nastase's case is one of the first instances of prosecuting top-level graft in Romania, which joined the European Union this year, and is seen as a litmus test of the two-year-old centrist government's ability to combat widespread abuse. Prosecutors have indicted Nastase, who headed the Black Sea state's government between 2000 and 2004, with blackmail and taking bribes worth 1.4 million euros. The case against Nastase, once one of the most powerful and popular politicians in Romania, has fuelled a deep decline in public support for his ex-communist Social Democratic Party (PSD) party. The politician was greeted at the courthouse by angry crowds chanting, may God repay you for robbing this country! One angry man shouted: "Let God give him luck, in prison," an angry Romanian who has accused Nastase of impoverishing the country shouted. Nastase denies the charges which were also brought against his wife Daniela and two others, calling them political "witch hunt". As he left the court house, Nastase told reporters that the government send cases to court without a political filter to ensure political responsibility. "This is a political case, you know this very well. The way they obtained evidences, the whole file as it is, the indictment is like a police novel," Nastase said. The trial was scheduled to start in January but court sessions have been postponed so far due to defence requests. On Thursday (March 15), Nastase's lawyers argued that requests to start criminal investigations against former ministers should come either from parliament speakers or the president, as is the case with acting policy makers, and not from prosecutors. The court will rule on the suspension request on March 22. Nastase's social democrat government was widely accused of allowing endemic graft to fester, particularly at the top level. It lost power in 2004 to a centrist coalition which introduced sweeping reforms, increasing judicial independence and helping Romania win an invitation to join the EU. Prosecutors have charged Nastase with using his position as premier to obtain gifts, including window frames, from an inspector of the government's construction inspectorate in return for helping the woman keep her job. Together with his wife, Nastase is also accused of allowing officials to break customs regulation and forging documents to bring 12 containers of construction materials, sanitary installations and household goods from China to furnish his homes in Bucharest and a holiday retreat.

ITN Source | March 16, 2007

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