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The Senate on Thursday Oked the anti-corruption prosecutors’ pre-trial detention request in the case of Social Democrat Senator Dan Șova. He is charged with taking bribe of EUR 100,000 to ensure a contract between CET Govora and a law firm.
The National Anti-corruption Directorate’s request was passed by 95 votes to 30. It is for the third time senators were convened to lift Șova’s immunity.
Dan Șova said in the Senate’s plenary sitting there is no evidence against him in the entire 3,000-page file, but only a denunciation, adding he is not a public danger to anyone, so the pre-trial detention is not legitimate.
“I think I am getting closed to undesired records. A 3,000-page file was presented to you, this case is referring to abuse of office and influence peddling charges. Out of those 3,000 pages only 60 are referring to me. Besides the denunciation, there is no evidence against me,” the Social Democrat senator told his colleagues.
There ere 115 senators present at Thursday’s sitting, while the request had to be approved with the majority of the senators present in the Senate.
The Social Democrat Party and the National Liberal Party previously announced they would vote for lifting Sova’s immunity, while the Senate Speaker, Călin Popescu Tăriceanu recommended his party, ALDE, to veto the DNA’s request.
It’s the second case where Dan Șova is charged with corruption and the third time that senators are called to vote on lifting his immunity so that he could be detained. Senators vetoed towice a previous request related to Turceni-Rovinari file, in March and in June.
The new charges
A week ago, the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) requested the start of prosecution against Senator Dan Sova, at the time representative of the law firm, for two deeds of complicity to abuse of office in a new file.
In the file are being investigated Mihai Balan, general director of CET Govora and Constantin Lepadat, economic director of CET Govora, charged with two deeds of abuse of office.
“During 2006-2008, Dan Sova convinced Mihai Balan and Mihai Balanto conclude two agreements for legal assistance in the terms imposed by him, in breach of duties or the legal provisions on procurement in force at the time. Specifically, on March 1, 2006 and on March 19, 2008, SC CET Govora concluded with the Law Firm ‘Sova and Associates’ two separate contracts for legal advice/consultation/representation, including the payment of fees for success of EUR 667,409.20 and of RON 1,822,928.24 respectively,” reads a DNA release.
According to DNA, the two separate contracts were concluded under the background of a valid contract of SC CET Govora for legal assistance on the same subject, concluded with the same Law firm ‘Sova and Associates’.
The prosecutors claim that these activities have caused damages to SC CET Govora worth over EUR 667,000 and more than RON 1.8 million and led to an unjustly benefit for ‘Sova and Associates’.
In another file, the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) request for detention and remand of Senator Dan Sova got the green light of the Senate’s legal committee on Tuesday. There were five votes in favour, two votes against and three abstentions.
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