The High Court of Cassation and Justice (Romania’s Supreme Court) is judging the last hearing in the National Agency for Property Restitution (ANRP) file, where former DIICOT head Alina Bica (former ANRP member), businessman Dorin Cocos and his son, Alin Cocos are judged.
Anti-corruption prosecutors have asked during the Wednesday’s hearing that Bica should get the maximum prison sentence for the two crimes she is charged with: abuse of office and bribe taking.
At the previous hearing, the judges have denied Alina Bica’s request to be heard by video conference in this file, arguing the papers filed by her lawyer don’t prove that she cannot come before the court and attend trial.
Alina Bica, former National Directorate for Combating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) head, has requested political asylum in Costa Rica.
The ICCJ judges said on Friday that Alina Bica has not been granted political refugee status in Costa Rica, as her lawyer argues, the former head of DIICOT being a solicitor with a provisional approval expiring in January 2019.
The magistrates rejected Alina Bica’s request to be heard by video-conference in the ANRP file because the documents submitted by the lawyer do not prove her impossibility to show up in the trial.
“The medical records presented do not prove the impossibility to show up. The court finds that Alina Bica does not have refugee status but has a provisional application card valid until January 30, 2019”, announced Lucia Rog, president of the panel of judges.
The judges postponed the file for May 16.
In the ANRP file, Alina Bica is charged with abuse of office, committed when she was secretary of state and representative of the Justice Ministry in the central committee for establishing restitutions within ANRP.
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