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Wednesday, April 9th

Constantza mayor detained for alleged bribery

The mayor of the Romanian Black Sea port of Constantza was detained for alleged bribery late Tuesday, RADIO ROMANIA reported. Radu Mazăre is expected to appear in court on Wednesday when the country's highest court could issue a 29-day preventive arrest warrant on his name. "I built social homes at lowest prices, and just look what happened to me", Mr. Mazăre told reporters after hearings at the headquarters of Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in Bucharest on Tuesday as he claimed his case was politically motivated. The mayor allegedly received 175,000 euro as bribe from a man representing the company hired to build the Henri Coandă social campus in the city, DNA prosecutors claimed. Mr. Mazăre was supposed to help the company win the bid and then boost the estimated value of the 10 million euro contract by almost 1 million. The money followed a secret route through offshore accounts opened in foreign banks. Businessman Avraham Morgenstern was also detained for 24 hours for his alleged involvement in the case while the country's High Court of Cassation and Justice was expected to call on judges to issue a preventive arrest warrant on his name.

Romania's Constitution Review Committee to resume procedures after April 30

A committee reviewing Romania's constitution is expected to resume procedures after April 30 as MP groups meanwhile could submit their proposed amendments in compliance with recommendations made by the country's Constitutional Court (CCR) and the Venice Commission. At a meeting on Wednesday, representatives of the opposition Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L) insisted that debates should start from zero as many amendments were declared unconstitutional by the CCR and criticised by the Venice Commission. PD-L Senator Alin Tișe said the existing committee should resign following the negative assessment by both bodies. The PD-L proposal was rejected as commissioners claimed that recommendations made by the Venice Commission were aimed at rectifying rather than nullifying the draft. Chief commissioner Crin Antonescu of the opposition National Liberal Party (PNL) pointed out that the Venice Commission actually praised the progress made by the committee in its attempt to improve the constitutional text, RADIO ROMANIA reported.

SRR Managing Board member Ileana Savu breaches incompatibility clause, ANI says

Romania's National Integrity Agency (ANI) found that a current member in the Managing Board of the Romanian Broadcasting Corporation (SRR) was incompatible with the office. ANI inspectors claim that Ileana Savu simultaneously served as member of the SRR Managing Board and administrator of the company Service Ciclop S.A. since November 28, 2011. Ms. Savu expressed her position in a note as part of her ANI file in compliance with her right to defend herself. According to law, a person breaching the incompatibility clause is desqualified from holding a public office for three years, RADIO ROMANIA reported.

Radio Romania's Gaudeamus Book Fair opens in Cluj-Napoca

The traditional Gaudeamus Book Fair opened in the Romanian Transylvanian town of Cluj-Napoca on Tuesday. Participants include 97 publishing houses and companies with 64 display-stands. The 15th edition of the fair will close on April 13. Hundreds of students at the near-by Babeș-Bolyai University, Technical University, Music Academy and Art and Design University already visited the fair as they hoped to buy cheaper textbooks. As RADIO ROMANIA reports, some books may cost no more than 1 (Romanian) leu. The offer is quite attractive: literature, history books, technical books, children books and university textbooks.

Alexandru Danga



RADOR News Agency - 9.04.2014 18:46