Nastase, the First Accused PM

Yesterday, Romania saw one of its former Prime Ministers accused. Adrian Nastase has been blamed yesterday of being bribed and of using the influence he had with the purpose of obtaining goods for him or for other people. The former SDP president says he is a political victim.

Yesterday, the NAD (National Anti-corruption Department) Prosecutors have charged the former Romanian PM, Adrian Nastase, in the Zambaccian file. The information has been confirmed by the politician’s lawyer, Gheorghe Diaconescu. The NAD also confirmed the beginning of the legal investigation in the case of Adrian Nastase and other five people, for corrupt practices. The Prosecutors refused giving other details since Adrian Nastase is yet to find out the accusations officially. The only statement was that "all the six people charged in this case are to come to the NAD according to the subpoenas they received".

ACCUSATIONS. Our sources have stated that the accusations are accepting bribe and the felony at Article 13 in Law 78/2000, according to which "the fact committed by a person leading a party or a syndicate as a legal body without patrimonial purposes, using his/her influence or authority to obtain money, goods or any other undeserved benefits for him/her or any other person is punished with prison from 1 to 5 years".

REACTION. "It’s crazy!", was Adrian Nastase’s first reaction, when he came in front of the journalists to give explanations after the appearance of the information regarding him being charged. He admitted he had been charged in the Zambaccian file and said he should have gone to the NAD headquarters the morning before, but he had been informed not to come anymore. However, yesterday Nastase said he had received a subpoena for the 16th of February. He said the subpoena refers to certain articles in the Penal Code, which regard accepting bribe, but didn’t say the exact things the subpoena was referring to. "I don’t have the circumstantial. I will see the respective facts in two weeks time". He added: "You have to have a brain disease to launch such accusations against a former Prime Minister, which regards an alleged state secretary without any actual reasons. Connecting the purchase of an apartment, which I paid with a bill, to corruption practices seems an extreme dirty work"

COUNTER ATTACK. Taking into consideration the things that happen to him, Nastase fulminated against the present Power, accusing Traian Basescu of being behind this campaign. "Actually the independent justice judges a certain fact no matter its author. However, political police goes all the way in order to obtain the conviction of a certain person. Traian Basescu has a very clear goal: to destroy politician Adrian Nastase. This file is political and it is underwritten, oriented and commanded from Cotroceni", Nastase said. He stated that, as far as he knows, NAD asked for information about him and other SDP leaders from the secret Services.

INTERCEPTION. "They have intercepted my phone calls and the ones of my colleagues. I don’t think this is normal", Nastase accused again. On the other hand, he said "NAD works on political command" and was resentful towards the information regarding his charges being sent to the press unofficially and considers it would have been normal for him to find out the accusations first. He sees the Minister of Justice, Monica Macovei, the person guilty for this. Last but not least, Nastase warned he would be more aggressive towards this "dirty political actions" from now on and said that the Zambaccian deal was a fair one. The Presidential Administration refused to make any comments on this yesterday. (Carmen Vintila)

THE BEGINNING. At the end of August 2004, the NLP-DP Alliance apprised the NAD asking for an investigation regarding the connection between Adrian Nastase purchasing an area on the Zambaccian Street owned by former SDPR Deputy Gabriel Bivolaru. The case has been closed and re-opened in November by the new NAD head, Daniel Morar (photo). The investigations have been extended this year and included the case of Aunt Tamara, the prosecutors believing that the area and part of the house on the Zambaccian Street have been purchased with money from Aunt Tamara.