Constanta mayor Radu Mazare dodges arrest for the second time

Romania’s High Court decided last night to free Constanta’s mayor Radu Mazare and rejected the anticorruption prosecutors’ request to arrest him for 30 days. The prosecutors will appeal this decision. The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) held Mazare on Monday, after several hours of questioning, on charges of bribery, abuse of office and conflict of interest. According to the prosecutors, Mazare allegedly received EUR 2 million from the representatives of two private companies, to approve the development of two shopping centers in Constanta. Mazare also reportedly received EUR 7 million, for awarding another firm a sanitation services contract worth EUR 335 million, for a 25-year period. The prosecutors found that this deal damaged the local budget by some EUR 26 million. The court decided there was not enough ground to issue a 30-day arrest warrant. It is the second time Mazare dodges arrest. The DNA prosecutors also held Mazare in April 2014 on corruption charges, but the court set him free. Mazare said he’s thinking to quit his mayor mandate, as he “got tired of answering to the same accusations”. He also said that he would not run for a new mandate. Radu Mazare, 46, has been mayor of Constanta for almost 15 year. He was first elected in 2000 and then got reelected three times with a large majority of the votes. editor@romania-insider.com