Romanian former prime minister acquitted in bribery case

Former Romanian prime minister Călin Popescu Tăriceanu was definitively acquitted on Monday, June 2, by the High Court of Cassation and Justice in a case in which he was accused of bribery. Prosecutors at the Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) had claimed that he received USD 800,000 from representatives of an Austrian company in exchange for making favorable decisions.

Tăriceanu, a close ally of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) during his time, stated that the decision “is not just a legal acquittal, but a moral reparation” which “restores the honor of a man who served Romania with loyalty and responsibility” and who had been subjected to a discrediting campaign.

“Unfortunately, in the last 20 years, what was called the rule of law in Romania was, often, just a parody,” he said on Facebook. “It is a release, a painful closure to a chapter in which I endured not only public attacks but also an emotional pressure hard to describe. My family was affected, and my reputation was unjustifiably questioned."

The former Liberal prime minister Călin Popescu Tăriceanu was indicted by DNA in March 2021 for alleged bribes received in 2008. He also faced a seizure on real estate properties worth USD 800,000.

The requests for bribes came, according to the prosecutors, through a businessman. The latter allegedly asked on behalf of the then-prime minister for a 10% commission out of the payments included in a commercial contract managed by the Austrian company, in exchange for the adoption of government decisions favoring the company’s interests, according to News.ro.

On October 10, 2024, Tăriceanu, who was prime minister between 2004 and 2008, was acquitted in the same case. The magistrates’ decision at the time was not final.

Now, the court rejected as unfounded the appeals filed by the Public Ministry in Tăriceanu’s case. The judges also decided to lift the preventive seizure measure on the former prime minister’s properties, as well as on the movable and immovable goods belonging to another defendant, Petru Berteanu, who was also acquitted.

(Photo source: Calin Popescu Tariceanu on Facebook)