The Romanian anticorruption prosecutors held former Romanian education minister Cristian Adomnitei for 24 hours after questioning him for about five hours on Thursday, May 7.

The National Anticorruption Directorate DNA is investigating Adomnitei in a corruption case related to some public acquisitions he approved as president of the Iasi County Council, according to Mediafax.

Cristian Adomnitei served as education minister from April 2007 until October 2008, in Calin Popescu Tariceanu’s liberal cabinet. He was elected president of the Iasi County Council in June 2012. Adomnitei is a member of the National Liberal Party (PNL).

The prosecutors also arrested two employees of the Iasi County Council for abuse of office. They allegedly awarded a EUR 77,000 promotion contract for the Iasi county. The firm that won the contract didn’t finish implementing it, although it received all the money.

The respective firm is controlled by the Iasi mayor Gheorghe Nichita’s relatives, according to Hotnews.ro. Nichita himself is currently under investigation for using the local police to spy on his sweetheart.

The DNA prosecutors also conducted several searches on Thursday at the Suceava County Council, in a separate corruption case targeting the council president Ioan Catalin Nechifor and senator Ovidiu Liviu Dontu. Both Nechifor and Dontu are members of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).

editor@romania-insider.com