Romanian state has to pay EUR 4,500 to former senator for bad pre-trial detention conditions

Former Romanian senator Catalin Voicu, who was arrested in March 2010 on influence trading charges and who was under pre-arrest until June 2011, will have to receive EUR 4,500 in compensation from the Romanian state for the arrest conditions, the European Court of Human Rights has decided. Voicu made notably several complaints of prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment, complaining in particular about the conditions of his pre-trial detention, on account of overcrowding and lack of basic hygiene, and his transportation from prison to the prosecutor’s office, in the back of a van with no heating or lighting. He also complained that the authorities had leaked excerpts from the prosecution file to the press – in particular, transcripts of conversations obtained through telephone tapping during the criminal surveillance operation against him and his co-defendants. Meanwhile, Voicu was given a final conviction, seven years in jail, on corruption charges. More about it here. editor@romania-insider.com