Former Secretary of State within the Justice Ministry Ovidiu Putura, who is accused of bribery and influence peddling, was arrested on Wednesday, January 21, following a decision of the Bucharest Court of Appeal, reports local Mediafax.

This decision can be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Putura, who has served as a judge at the Bistrita Court, as well as Secretary of State and director of the Litigation Department within the Ministry of Justice, was accused of receiving a bribe of EUR 30,000 for intervening in a case and for asking a judge to give a favorable ruling in another case where his wife was the applicant.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com