Former Romanian President’s brother gets 4-year jail sentence

Constanta Court of Appeal sentenced Mircea Basescu, former Romanian President Traian Basescu's brother, to four years in prison for influence peddling. The decision is final and maintains the first sentence the Constanta Court ruled at the beginning of the year. However, Mircea Basescu might spend a shorter period in prison as he had spent a long period of time under preventive and house arrest, reports local Digi24. “I’m not commenting my brother’s conviction as this is a final court decision, no matter what I think,” former President Traian Basescu wrote on his Facebook page. In the same case, Mircea Basescu’s accomplice Marian Capatana also got a 3-year sentence. The Court also decided to confiscate EUR 265,000 from him. Prosecutors accused Mircea Basescu of receiving a bribe of EUR 250,000 to help local underworld leader Sandu Anghel, also known as Bercea Mondial (Bercea the Global), out of a criminal conviction. Capatana allegedly intermediated the transaction. Both Mircea Basescu and Marian Capatana were placed under preventive on June 20, 2014. In November the same year, the local authorities decided to change the preventive arrest measure with home arrest. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com