ECHR finds no issue in trial condemning former Romanian MEP to 4 years in jail

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found no issue with the trial process in Romania that saw former MEP Adrian Severin condemned to 4 years in jail for influence-peddling.

In 2011 the British weekly newspaper The Sunday Times published an article suggesting acts of corruption at the European Parliament, targeting several MEPs, Severin included. They met the MEP five separate times posing as representatives of a London-based consultancy and offered him EUR 100,000 annually in exchange for help passing amendments, which he did as instructed.

A few days after the article was published an investigation was opened in Romania for abuse of position. Severin was then committed for trial before the High Court of Cassation and Justice and convicted on charges of accepting bribes and trading in influence. He was then sentenced, in 2017, to 4 years in jail.

After being released from prison, Adrian Severin took his case to the ECHR, alleging his rights had been violated during the trial. In particular, he challenged the use of recordings made by British journalists during the criminal proceedings, claiming that their testimony had been taken under unfavorable conditions for the defense.

The Court, however, found that “nothing in the case file suggested that the [Romanian] High Court had failed to exercise the caution required by the circumstances of the case in admitting such evidence.” The ECHR further noted that the use of recordings had at the relevant time been authorized under domestic law in criminal proceedings.

Finally, judges pointed out that Severin and his lawyers had full access to the recordings and that the High Court had given him the opportunity to raise detailed objections. Additionally, the Court found that the questioning of witnesses was carried out appropriately, allowing Severin to effectively exercise his rights.

"The court finds that, viewed as a whole, the criminal procedure provided the complainant with adequate guarantees for exercising his defense rights," the ECHR concluded.

The decision was unanimous.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Liviu Florin Albei)