Ex-deputy mayor of Cluj Napoca, Anna Horvath, sentenced to prison for corruption

0

Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.

Anna Horvath, former deputy mayor of Cluj Napoca, also UDMR executive chairwoman, has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison by the Cluj Court of Appeal on Friday. The ruling is not final and can be challenged by appeal.

Moreover, magistrates have also imposed a ban against Horvath, meaning she is not allowed to run for public positions for two years. She will have to pay RON 20,000 as well, Monitorul de Cluj reported.

A businessman from Cluj, Zsolt Fodor has been also sentenced to two years and six months on probation in the same file.

Anna Horvath (UDMR) was charged with influence peddling and money laundering. At the last hearing, Horvath has declined the possibility of doing community service.

Horvath stated that she would challenge the ruling, as she considers herself innocent, claiming that “Romania is a Securitate-like state”.

I would lie if I said that I am surprised by today’s ruling. My acquaintances know I have prepared for anything. And not because I would have committed a crime, but because, in the past 525 days, I found out myself that Romania is a Securitate-like state (…) To those who are trying to interpret the decisions today based on the rule of law, I tell them not to bother! There is no rule of law in Romania. And if it had ever existed, it has stopped existing,” Horvath said.

UDMR chairman Kelemen Hunor also sprang to Horvath’s defence, slamming the court’s ruling and accusing that magistrates would have sentenced her to prison “without any evidence”.

In a Facebook post released in Hungarian, Kelemen Hunor reclaimed that procedures would have been constantly broken and there would haven’t been enough evidence for a prison sentence. “In Anna’s case, there is no Justice, no law,” he argued, adding that “a crime has been committed against the former deputy mayor in the past 526 days”.

Can we talk about the rule of law when a person is sentenced to prison with no evidence?,” the UDMR chair argued, adding that Anna Horvath will continue to be a leader and a voice for the Magyar community in Cluj-Napoca.

DONATE: Support our work
In an ever changing and challenging world, the media is constantly struggling to resist. Romania Journal makes no exception. We’ve been informing you, our readers, for almost 10 years, as extensively as we can, but, as we reject any state funding and private advertising is scarce, we need your help to keep on going.
So, if you enjoy our work, you can contribute to endorse the Romania Journal team. Any amount is welcome, no strings attached. Choose to join with one of the following options:
Donate with PayPal
Donate by Bank Wire
Black Zonure SRL
UniCredit Bank. Swift: BACXROBU
RON: RO84 BACX 0000 0022 3589 1000
EURO: RO57 BACX 0000 0022 3589 1001
USD: RO30 BACX 0000 0022 3589 1002

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.