Prosecutors ask for bigger jail sentence for former Romanian senator Cătălin Voicu

Prosecutors from Romania's anti-corruption directorate (DNA) have asked the Supreme Court judges to give a nine year prison sentence to former senator Cătălin Voicu, who was convicted last June on corruption charges.

The DNA prosecutors argued that the original jail time of some six years was too lenient and the seriousness of the case warranted a stiffer sentence. The prosecutors also requested longer sentences for the others convicted in the case, including six years in jail for former judge Florin Costiniu. The panel of five judges resumed debate today (April 22 ) in the ongoing process following the conviction of Cătălin Voicu, Florin Costiniu, as well as businessmen Costel Căşuneanu and Marius Locic on corruption charges. Former senator Voicu should receive the longest sentence, according to the prosecutors, as he appears to have been the main protagonist in the group. The four were convicted last year, in June, on corruption charges, but since then the case has been through various appeals. Voicu has also reportedly suffered from heart problems and required medical attention. He was convicted on two charges: peddling influence and falsifying documents and was under preventative arrest between March 2010 and July 2011. Others involved in the case were also placed under preventative arrest, but for briefer spells. Businessman Marius Locic, director of SC Locic Real Estate LLC, received a sentence of four years in prison for paying for influence, one year and two months for falsifying documents and one year and six months for forgery. Former President of the Civil Division of the Supreme Court Florin Costiniu was found guilty of complicity in peddling influence, for which he was given a suspended sentenced of three years imprisonment and probation period of six years. Businessman Costel Căşuneanu was sentenced to four years in prison for buying influence. Judges of the Supreme Court suspended the execution of the sentence for a period of seven years. Cătălin Voicu was a senator for the Social Democratic Party (PSD) who won seats in parliament between 2004 and 2008 and for the 2008 to 2012 term. Between 2000 and 2004, he has an adviser to former Romanian president Ion Iliescu. editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: sxc.hu)