Romanian prosecutors come up with new bribery, influence peddling charges against former tourism minister

Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) has come up with new corruption charges against former tourism and regional development minister Elena Udrea and has asked again for the Parliament’s approval to arrest her. The prosecutors accused Elena Udrea of bribery, influence peddling, false statements, instigation to abuse of office, and money laundering. The charges target two separate events. One is the way in which Udrea indirectly acquired a 700 sqm villa at the seaside from a state-owned company under the Tourism Ministry’s authority. She also allegedly had a private company revamp the villa without paying for the EUR 120,000 work. The same firm had ongoing contracts with the National Investment Company, under Udrea’s authority, according to a DNA statement. In a separate case, the prosecutors alleged that Udrea took USD 3.8 million in cash and a EUR 900,000 receivable title on a media company as a bribe from a local businessman in exchange for using her political influence to help him renew a contract with state-owned power producer Hidroelectrica, according to DNA’s announcement. Udrea, who has been a member of the Deputies Chamber since 2008 and a minister between 2008 and 2012, already spent 72 days in arrest, from February to May this year, as the prosecutors investigated her in another case related to the illegal financing of a boxing gala in 2011. The hearings in the Gala Bute case started in court last week and three of Udrea’s former subordinates admitted their guilt and testified against her. Udrea’s name also appeared in the Microsoft overpriced IT licenses case, in which her ex-husband Dorin Cocos has pleaded guilty on influence peddling charges. Romanian prosecutors hold former minister Elena Udrea on influence peddling Former Romanian minister Elena Udrea tries to impress fellow MPs by talking about harsh arrest conditions Former Romanian minister Elena Udrea released from prison into house arrest Former minister, local businessmen plead guilty in Microsoft licenses case, describe corruption ring editor@romania-insider.com