Former Bacau Mayor Romeo Stavarache arraigned and detained

The former mayor of Bacau (county seat, northeast of Bucharest) Romeo Stavarache has been arraigned and placed under arrest pending trial on Friday for five charges of bribery, a release of the National Anticorruption Directorate informed AGERPRES.

Prosecutors of DNA Bacau also arraigned and detained four other people, including Costel Casuneanu, a prominent businessman, under related charges of bribery, complicity, or both.

The indictment states that between 2008 and 2001 Stavarache demanded and received bribes directly or through two co-defendants, from four businesspeople.

Prosecutors also ordered the sequestering of real estate properties of Stavarache to cover the amount of 2,390,450 lei (1 euro = 4.40 lei).

Prosecutors were helped by the Romanian Intelligence Service and by the Bacau General Anticorruption Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The case was sent to the Court of Appeals of Bacau County with the proposal of upholding the prevention and precautionary measures.AGERPRES