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| The Local Public Administration and Corruption |
| (2011-11-10) |
| Last updated: 2011-11-14 14:01 EET |
Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors have their hands full these days. Following the arrest of controversial businessman Sorin Ovidiu Vantu and trade union leader Liviu Luca for embezzlement and money laundering, another major figure from local public administration has been detained.
The Liberal-Democrat mayor of Cluj, Sorin Apostu, was charged with demanding and receiving at least 100 thousand euros in bribe over the 2009-2011 period for signing sanitation and car park insurance contracts with certain companies. The bribe money was allegedly transferred through the law practice of Apostu’s wife, who has been equally charged in the case. Prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation against other persons involved.
The scandal follows shortly after Radu Bica, the vice-president of Cluj County Council was detained for bribe taking. The stake this time was a maintenance contract for the newly built Cluj Arena stadium. The Liberal Democratic Party, the senior party in the ruling coalition took immediate action and excluded Bica from the party ranks. Apostu’s situation, on the other hand, is more delicate.
The Cluj mayor, who is also the president of the Liberal-Democratic Party’s Cluj branch office, is considered to be one of PM Emil Boc’s close friends, whom he succeeded at the helm of the Cluj City Hall in 2009, after Boc stepped down to take the reigns of the government. Liberal-Democrats say they will never interfere with anti-corruption investigations among their own ranks, and that anyone found guilty must be held accountable.
The same does not apply for the Social-Democratic Party, in opposition, who are criticized for springing to the defence of fellow party colleagues, whose activities have come to the attention of legal authorities, claiming they are victims of politically-instrumented actions. Surprisingly enough, the investigation has caused dissentions within the most important center held by the Liberal-Democrats, the city of Cluj, the political consequences of which will be seen in 2012, when local and parliamentary elections are held simultaneously.
The Liberal-Democrats’ corruption problems however go beyond Cluj County. In neighboring Maramures County, the president of the local County Council, Mircea Man, has been indicted for alleged complicity in influence peddling cases. Man is charged with pulling political strings to install somebody at the helm of an institution.
Moreover, the mayor of Craiova, Liberal-Democrat Antonie Solomon stood 4 months behind bars in 2012 and was suspended from office, although he subsequently resumed his mandate. In the past two years, the activity of scores of city and village mayors from all political parties has been brought to the attention of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate. However, only a few cases that were brought to court have resulted in sentences as well, while of these even less are actually carried out.
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