Romanian court slaps 22-year sentence on corrupt judge, businessman gets 4 years

A former Romanian judge got a 22-year jail conviction for corruption. He asked for money and other gifts to help Romanian businessmen and insolvency lawyers with favourable decisions in insolvency cases. This sentence is one of the hardest ever made in Romania for corruption. Three other judges and Romanian businessman Dan Adamescu also got prison time in this case. The decisions are not final, according to Mediafax. The Bucharest Appeal Court sentenced Dan Adamescu to four years and four months in jail, no parole, for bribing two judges to get favourable decisions in insolvency cases involving some of his companies. The Court also ruled that the businessman can’t hold management positions in local or foreign companies for the next three years. Adamescu, who is one of the richest Romanians, was arrested in June 2014 by anticorruption prosecutors, shortly after his lawyer committed suicide in the Bucharest subway. Adamescu was then placed under home arrest in August 2014. Dan Adamescu controls local insurance company Astra Asigurari, two malls under the Unirea Shopping Center brand, one in Bucharest and the other in Brasov, the Intercontinental hotel in Bucharest and the Rex hotel in Mamaia. He also owns several office buildings in Bucharest, a construction company and the Romania Libera newspaper. Former judge Mircea Moldovan got the hardest sentence in this case. Magistrates of the Bucharest Appeal Court found him guilty on several counts of corruption. They also ruled that Moldovan should hand in some EUR 7,300, a Samsung TV set and a mobile phone, which he received from insolvency specialists to help them with their cases. The Court also convicted former judge Elena Roventa to five years and ten months in jail. Sorin Viziru, another former judge tried in this case, got five years, and Ion Stanciu, the fourth magistrate involved, got three years and eight months. editor@romania-insider.com