President Basescu's brother detained by anti-corruption prosecutors

Mircea Basescu, younger brother of president Traian Basescu, was detained Thursday evening by anti-corruption prosecutors, after his interrogation. Mircea Basescu is suspected of trading in influence, specifically of receiving EUR 250,000 in February 2012 in order to intervene at judiciary level for a milder sentence of Sandu Anghel, also known as Bercea Mondial, an underworld boss that was sentenced to seven years and six months in jail that same year.

The prosecutors will plead for his preemptive arrest at the Bucharest court.

Mircea Basescu told Agerpres on Thursday that he was summoned as a suspect by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) Bucharest for testimonies in a case involving a criminal complaint against him filed by Florin Anghel, son of interloper Sandu Anghel, aka Bercea Mondial.

“I was summoned at the Bucharest office of DNA by Mr. Chief Commissioner Buturuga to be heard as a suspect in a case involving a criminal complaint filed against me by Florin Anghel, who is accusing me of misleading the judiciary authority, what in the old Criminal Code used to be known as calumnious denunciation. That means Florin Anghel is claiming that me having complained in court about him having blackmailed me was in vain. We shall see!” said Mircea Basescu

Romanian TV news channel Antena 3 presented a short film on Wednesday night in which Mircea Basescu appears to admit receiving money from a member of Sandu Anghel’s family. He appeared to acknowledge he had received 250,000 euros to reduce Anghel’s sentence and said the president was aware of the case, writes ABC News. On Thursday, Mircea Basescu claimed he has not ask for nor received any money in this case.

Also on Thursday, after seeing his name being dragged into the scandal, the president held a special press conference, specifying he will not intervene in any capacity on behalf of his brother.

“He is an adult and responsible for what he does. If he did something illegal, he will have to answer in court, like any Romanian citizen,” Basescu told the press gathered at Cotroceni palace.