The High Court of Cassation and Justice (Romania’s Supreme Court) ruled to keep the wiretapping conducted by the Romanian Intelligence Service as evidence in the file where former Interior minister Cristian David is prosecuted for bribe taking.
“ICCJ overrules as unjustifiable the request filed by defendant David Cristian to remove all evidence related to wiretapping obtained by other criminal prosecution bodies than the ones stipulated by article 55 in the Criminal Procedure Code,” reads the Supreme Court’s verdict.
Cristian David was sent to court by the anti-corruption prosecutors in July 2015, next to his former chief of cabinet and to ex-prefect of Buzău. According to the prosecutors, Cristian David, in his capacity of Interior Minister, pretended and received EUR 500,000 in February 2008.
Cristian David, former Liberal minister of Interior during April 2007-December 2008, is charged with receiving EUR 500,000 to intercede with Buzău prefect, Cristinel Bigiu, currently suspended from the position as leader of Buzău County Council, in order to make him decide on a retrocession of a 15-hectare land in Buzau.
According to the prosecutors’ indictment, in order to cover the origin of the bribe several purchase agreements have been signed, referring to some fictional property transactions.
Anti-corruption prosecutors have levied on David’s movable and immovable assets and on the assets of other three defendants in the file.
Former Interior Minister served a pretrial jail sentence in this case from January 22 to March 20, when he has been placed under house arrest. David has been placed under pretrial monitored release since April 17.