Group of Romanian media owners detained for 24 hours reaches three

Romanian businessman Sorin Ovidiu Vantu is the third local media owner who has been detained for 24 hours, after Dinu Patriciu, the current owner of Adevarul Holding, and Dan Diaconescu, owner of OTV Tv station. More about Sorin Ovidiu Vantu's 24-hour arrest here. Dan Diaconescu's 24-hour arrest earlier in June this year followed blackmail charges. Dan Diaconescu, who owns OTV TV station, was accused of blackmailing and threating the mayor of Zarand locality in Arad county, Ion Mot. Diaconescu was previously a witness in a file submitted by Ion Mot against OTV anchor Doru Parv. Parv and Diaconescu had allegedly asked for EUR 200,000 not to broadcast compromising footage for Ion Mot. According to Romania's Anticorruption Body (DNA), Mot had paid EUR 30,000 of this amount. Dinu Patriciu, the then owner of oil company Rompetrol and now owner of Adevarul Holding media company, was arrested for 24 hours in 2005. His arrest four years ago was linked to the Petromidia case, having been charged with tax evasion, money laundry and fraud in the post privatization of Petromidia. At the time, Dinu Patriciu was not yet a media owner. He started to invest in the media after the sale of Rompetrol in 2007. romania-insider.com