Constanta County Council head gets 3.5 years in prison

The Constanta Court has sentenced Nicusor Constantinescu, the Constanta County Council president, to three years and a half in prison for abuse of office. The court has also forbidden Constantinescu to hold public office for five years after completing his prison sentence. The decision is not final. Between 2009 and 2013, Constantinescu underfinanced the County Military Centre in Constanta, according to the anticorruption prosecutors. In 2011, the Constanta County Council allocated EUR 384 to the military center, in 2012 it didn’t allocate any money and in 2013 it allocated about EUR 57,000 for services rendered by some suppliers in the previous years. These proceedings have caused the Ministry of National Defense, which holds the County Military Centre in Constanta, damages of EUR 15.1 million, according to prosecutors. In April this year, Constantinescu was sentenced in another case where he caused prejudices of over EUR 8 million to the Constanta county. editor@romania-insider.com