Prosecutor convicted of bribery

The Judges of Constanţa Court of Appeal found guilty the prosecutor Viorel Vasile, the chief of Section of Penal Prosecution within the Prosecutor's Office attached to Caraş-Severin Tribunal. 

The magistrate was convicted to 10 months in prison, together with restriction of some rights. Constanţa judges kept the prosecutor in custody from the beginning of November 2008. The court concluded that the chief of Section of Penal Prosecution is guilty as charged of both infractions of bribery. According to the indictment, on 13^th of November 2008, the accused claimed several feeding products from an informer, in order to give a favourable sentence in a lawsuit inquiring him for an infraction in connection to driving on public roads. On 21^st of November 2008, the prosecutor claimed another 1,200.00 lei from another informer, in exchange of the same "favour".

On 24^th of November, the prosecutors say that Viorel Vasile received the required feeding products, then he was caught in flagrante delicto while he was taking 800 lei. The lawsuit was sent to Constanţa after the High Court of Cassation and Justice sustained the request of movement made by the prosecutor, which expressed his doubts about the impartiality of Timişoara judges. When finding himself before Constanţa court, he tried to prove his innocence and he declared that actually he was setting the informer up, while eventually he got set up. The sentence pronounced by Constanţa Court of Appeal may be appealed to the High Court of Cassation and Justice.