Romania's Craiova mayor sent to court for bribery, money laundering

Romania’s anticorruption prosecutors sent to trial Craiova’s mayor Lia Olguta Vasilescu. They charged her with bribery, using authority to extort money, and money laundering. Radu Cosmin Preda, the former public administrator of Craiova, was indicted in the same case for complicity to bribery and abetting money laundering whereas Elena Daniela Popescu, former representative of a non-profit organization, was accused of complicity to bribery and money laundering. Before the municipal elections in 2012, Vasilescu used her influence to determine several local investors to sponsor her campaign, in exchange for using her political influence to their benefit, according to DNA prosecutors. She received several “donations” from local businessmen, including EUR 25,000 for the payment of a concert held by a foreign singer. The payment was cash. editor@romania-insider.com