Former Romanian ministers released from prison after High Court decision

Two former ministers and several other high-profile detainees have been released from prison following a decision of the High Court of Cassation and Justice. Among those released are Dan Șova, a former senator and transport minister, Constantin Niță, a former energy minister, and Rudel Obreja, a former president of the Romanian Boxing Federation. Alina Bica, previously the chief prosecutor of the anti-organized crime directorate DIICOT, also had her sentence suspended. They contested their sentences after the Constitutional Court ruled last month that High Court panels of judges need to be established through a drawing and those who received final sentences prior to 2014 can challenge them. They challenged their sentences and where released on grounds that the previous panels of five judges were not established according to law, Stirileprotv.ro reported. Dan Sova, was sentenced to three years in jail, no parole, for influence peddling and bribery this June. He was sent to court for using his influence over the general manager of state-owned energy producer CET Govora, Mihai Balan, to convince him to sign legal assistance contracts with a certain law firm. For this, Sova received EUR 100,000 from a representative of that firm, who later denounced him. Rudel Obreja was sentenced to five years in jail in the Gala Bute case, for embezzlement. In the same case, former tourism minister Elena Udrea received six years in prison for bribery and abuse of office. The case concerned the illegal financing by the Tourism Ministry of a boxing gala in 2011. Constantin Niţă was sentenced to 4 years in prison for influence peddling. The anticorruption prosecutors proved that Nita facilitated a deal between a private company controlled by local businessman Tiberiu Urdareanu and the Iasi City Hall and received EUR 30,000 and more than RON 300,000 (EUR 68,100) in exchange. The term to solve the disputes the three brought to their sentences is January 21 of next year. The panel that decided the three should be released will also take on the case of PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, who was initially sentenced to three years and six months in jail for having caused abuse of office with two fictitious hirings while he was president of the Teleroman County Council. Alina Bica was sentenced to 4 years in prison for favoring the defendant. Serban Pop, a former head of the tax agency ANAF, received a