One of the most powerful women in Romanian politics arrested for alleged bribery

Lia Olguta Vasilescu, the mayor of Craiova and a vice president of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) was held by the anticorruption prosecutors on bribery and money laundering charges. The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) held Lia Olguta Vasilescu for 24 hours after questioning her on Wednesday, March 30. The prosecutors have also asked the Bucharest Court to issue a 30-day arrest warrant on her name. According to DNA, Lia Olguta Vasilescu convinced several business people to sponsor her during the campaign for the local elections for mayor of Craiova, in 2012. She talked personally to some of these investors while others were approached via intermediaries. The total donations were estimated at EUR 136,000 and paid for campaign materials and shows to support her candidacy, reads DNA’s press release. The prosecutors also alleged that as mayor of Craiova, Vasilescu received some EUR 122,000 from several business people for and through a non-profit association. More precisely, she asked companies that had contracts with the Craiova City Hall to sponsor the respective association, which used the money to renovate the facades of several buildings in Craiova. According to the prosecutors, the companies’ representatives accepted her demands so they wouldn’t encounter difficulties in receiving the money from the public contracts they had with the municipality. The non-profit association’s work has helped the Craiova mayor accumulate electoral capital, according to DNA. Lia Olguta Vasilescu was elected mayor of Craiova in June 2012 and planned to run for another mandate in June this year. She was a close collaborator of former Prime Minister and social-democrat leader Victor Ponta, who granted a EUR 55 million state financing to help her build a new stadium in Craiova. Another Romanian politician suspected of plagiarism Romanian Government approves state financing for new EUR 55 mln stadium in Craiova editor@romania-insider.com