Update: MP Elena Udrea arrested for 24 hours

Newsroom 11/02/2015 | 11:22

Romanian MP and former minister of regional development and tourism Elena Udrea was arrested last night for 24 hours under charges of influence peddling and money laundering in the Microsoft case after she was called in for questioning by anticorruption prosecutors. The High Court of Cassation and Justice will decide today whether it will approve or not the prosecutors’ proposal to arrest her for 30 days.

On Monday the Romanian Parliament approved the National Anticorruption Directorate’s (DNA) request to arrest and indict Udrea in two cases – the Microsoft licenses case and the Gala Bute boxing event.

She was indicted for three counts of influence peddling – in connection to the state’s contracts for Microsoft licenses in 2009, the execution of the e-Romania contract and for allegedly asking and receiving EUR 500,000 for “helping” a local businessman solve his legal problems – and money laundering, according to a DNA press release.