The former president of the Constanta County Council Nicuşor Constantinescu was held by Turkish authorities and will be brought to Romania, to face preventive arrest in several cases he is investigated for. Constantinescu told Turkish judges he will come to Romania by himself, so he was not arrested in Turkey, according to Mediafax newswire.

He argued he was planning to return to Romania from the US in the near future. The Romanian had been in Turkey for over a week, after staying for a longer period in the US.

Romania asked the US to extradite Constantinescu, but the request was rejected. Constantinescu himself submitted a request to US General Prosecutor Eric Holder Jr., saying that Romanian Justice is controlled by the Anti-Corruption Department DNA, and asking him to reject any arrest warrant on his name that might come from Romania.

Constantinescu went to the US to have surgery, but the media published pictures of him over the summer, spending time at a terrace in New York. Three criminal files await for Constantinescu’s return to Romania, most of which for work abuse and bribery.

The former president of the Constanta County Council partially owns six land plots, three houses, a holiday home, a boat, five cars, and has a USD 1 million in a bank deposit.

editor@romania-insider.com