Three Romanian priests detained on blackmail charges

Prosecutors from the National Anticorruption Department (DNA) detained three priests on charges of blackmail, for 24 hours on Thursday, June 15. The three priests allegedly blackmailed a person in the leadership of the Romanian Orthodox Church with revealing compromising facts about him. One of the three defendants, namely Jitaru Sebastian Cristi, an Archimandrite priest at Husi Episcopal Cathedral, threatened to reveal the facts if he is not nominated a vicar bishop. Meanwhile, the other two priests asked for EUR 50,000 to keep the compromising facts a secret. The facts presented by the DNA took place between May 30 and June 14 of this year. All three priests may be placed under a 30-day preventive arrest if the Vaslui Court approves the prosecutors’ request in this respect. Bucharest Police detain fake priest paid for performing religious ceremonies Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com