Romania’s President Traian Basescu recently said that he never had any information about his brother’s connections and deals with underworld leader Sandu Anghel, also known as Bercea Mondial. He also said that he has no reason to resign just because his brother, Mircea Basescu, was arrested in an influence trading case.

“I regret that my brother is suspected of influence trading, but he is a 60-year old man living in Constanta with his family and I am living in Bucharest with my family. We each have our jobs and we only meet once every two years. I never had any information about the Sandu Anghel deal and about his connection with my brother, not from my brother, nor from any state information structure,” Basescu said ruing his press conference on Monday afternoon.

He added that there’s no reason for anyone to believe that he, as president, intervened in any way in Sandu Anghel’s trial, considering that the man was convicted to jail time. Mircea Basescu, the president’s brother, was arrested last week for allegedly receiving EUR 250,000 from Sandu Anghel’s son, to which he is also related, in order to intervene in his murder trial to get him a lighter sentence. Sandu Anghel was convicted to more than eight years in jail for stabbing one of his nephews to death in 2011. The decision became final in May this year.

After the president’s brother was arrested, Basescu’s opponents, starting with Prime Minister Victor Ponta, asked for his resignation. On Wednesday, June 25, the Parliament will be convened to vote on a political declaration which formally asks Basescu to announce his resignation. However, this declaration has no legal value and the president can’t be forced to resign. The only way to dismiss the president is for the Parliament to suspend him and then people to vote in a referendum.

editor@romania-insider.com