Romania’s electoral authority head detained on influence peddling, money laundering charges

Ana Maria Patru, the president of the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP), was detained for 24 hours on Tuesday, November 15, on charges of influence peddling and money laundering. She might spend the next 30 days in jail if Prahova Court approves the prosecutors’ request in this sense. Prosecutors from the Ploiesti branch of the National Anticorruption Department (DNA) announced on Tuesday that they started the criminal prosecution of Patru, for influence peddling and money laundering. Between April and June 2008, Ana Maria Patru claimed EUR 210,000 from the representatives of a company, the money representing the value of a property located in Bucharest. Patru, who was AEP’s vice-president at that time, allegedly received the money in 2009. In return, she promised to support the smooth running of a contract concluded by the company with AEP, and to help the company obtain and carry out future contracts, according to a statement from DNA. “In 2009, the suspect Ana Maria Patru tried to hide the origin of the EUR 210,000 through a fictitious financial circuit consisting in carrying out business operations between several companies, including the company that obtained the contract with AEP, and a company controlled by Ana Maria Patru through her husband,” reads the statement. However, according to the prosecutors, things didn’t stop here. In 2011, Patru asked for EUR 15,000 from the same company, which represented part of the value of a Land Rover car. In return, she again promised them support in running a contract with AEP, and in getting future contracts. The same year, she again asked and received EUR 50,000 from another company manager. This time, she received the money to intervene at the Ministry of Economy so that the businessman would be received in audience. “With the money obtained from the two offences of influence peddling, she purchased a Land Rover car and, to hide the identity of the real owner and beneficiary, Ana Maria Patru registered the vehicle in another person’s name,” according to the DNA statement. Taking into account this legal situation, the AEP head decided to resign, according to her lawyer, Ene Cristian, reports local Agerpres. DNA prosecutors carried out several searches at the AEP headquarters and Ana Maria Patru’s residence on Tuesday morning. After the searches, they took Patru in for questioning. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (Photo source: Autoritatea Electorala Permanenta on Facebook)