Romanian president says he won’t interfere with justice process on behalf of his brother in influence trading investigation

Romania’s president Traian Basescu denied all accusations and media speculation on his alleged involvement in preventing the conviction of a notorious local underworld leader, Sandu Anghel, on his brother’s request. “I never had a conversation with my brother, Mircea Basescu, about any support for Sandu Anghel in any of his trials,” Basescu said in an unplanned press conference which he held on Thursday, June 19. He added: “I appeal to any policeman, judge and prosecutor who was on this case, if any of them received any intervention from me, direct of through intermediaries, to say it publicly. I guarantee you there is none!” He also denied any interference in any justice action on his brother’s behalf. “If he did something illegal, he will have to answer to justice, like any citizen. I do not accuse him. Is someone will, it will be justice. The only thing I accuse him of is the entourage he got himself into,” said Basescu. “I assure you that, between the need to consolidate justice and the natural reflex to defend one’s brother, I choose the consolidation of justice,” he emotionally ended his speech. His public intervention comes one day after the Antena 3 news television broadcast a video and audio recording which allegedly demonstrates that Mircea Basescu, the president’s brother, received EUR 250,000 to intervene in order to get Sandu Anghel, also known as Bercea Mondial (whose nickname translates as Bercea the Global), out of a jail conviction. The news station implied that the president allegedly knew about this arrangement. The recordings were broadcasted in the presence of Pavel Abraham, who is Bercea Mondial’s lawyer, who said that the decision to make them public came after suspicions that the legal inquiry against Mircea Basescu for alleged influence trading was being delayed. The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) called both Sandu Anghel and Mircea Basescu in for questioning in this case. The two men are somewhat related: Mircea Basescu is godfather to Bercea Mondial’s granddaughter. Florin Anghel, Bercea Mondial’s son, made a criminal complaint against Mircea Basescu for alleged influence trading, deceit and misleading judiciary authorities. This came after Mircea Basescu himself made a complaint against Florin Anghel for blackmail. Basescu said that Anghel had asked him for EUR 280,000 in return for not publishing compromising information about him and his family. The whole scandal burst after Sandu Anghel was sentenced to 8 years and 9 months in jail, without parole, for stabbing and killing one of his nephews in 2011. His son, Florin Anghel, was also convicted to 5 years and 3 months in jail in the same case. editor@romania-insider.com