Head of Romania's electoral authority questioned in corruption case

Prosecutors from the Ploiesti office of the National Anticorruption Department (DNA) carried out several searches on Tuesday morning at the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) headquarters, and at the residence of AEP president Ana Maria Patru. After the searches, they took Patru in for questioning. The prosecutors are investigating crimes of influence peddling and money laundering related to the acquisition of software used in the previous elections in Romania, according to local Mediafax. According to judicial sources, Ana Maria Patru's husband allegedly tried to run away with some documents during the searches on Tuesday. However, the police stopped him. The documents apparently belonged to a company he owned, but later radiated, documents that were relevant to the investigation. The same judicial sources told local Mediafax that Ana Maria Patru received money through that company. Ana Maria Patru has been president of the Permanent Electoral Authority since 2012. Before that, she was the institution’s vice-president since 2007. She has also been a vice-president of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB), since October 2013. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (Photo source: Autoritatea Electorala Permanenta on Facebook)