Romanian mayor detained on bribe suspicions
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Version 0 of 1. BUCHAREST, Romania — Anti-corruption prosecutors have detained the mayor of one of Romania’s largest cities on suspicion of money laundering, influence trafficking and taking bribes. The anti-corruption prosecutors’ office said Wednesday that Olguta Vasilescu, mayor of Craiova, allegedly used her position as a top official of the Social Democratic Party in 2012 to persuade local businesses to contribute 136,000 euros ($154,000) to her successful election campaign. Prosecutors allege that in 2014 she received 544,000 lei ($138,000) in bribes paid to a non-profit association by businesses that had contracts with the city hall. Vasilescu, the first woman to be elected mayor of a major Romanian city, denies wrongdoing. Prosecutors are seeking her arrest. Prosecutors also detained a city hall official and the head of the association on bribery charges. Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |