Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) has decided to officially investigate Mircea Basescu, the Romanian President Traian Basescu’s brother, for alleged influence trading and to hold him into custody for 24 hours, starting Thursday evening, June 19.

The prosecutors also asked the court to approve a 30-day preventive arrest mandate on Mircea Basescu.

According to the prosecutors, Mircea Basescu received EUR 250,000 from Florin Anghel, through a middleman, in exchange for the promise that he will try to obtain a favorable sentence in a homicide case in which Sandu Anghel, Forin Anghel’s father, was prosecuted.

Sandu Anghel, also known as Bercea Mondial, is a notorious local underworld leader. He and Mircea Basescu are related as the President’s brother was godfather at his son’s wedding and is also his granddaughter’s godfather.

Bercea Mondial was arrested at the beginning of 2011 for homicide, after stabbing one of his nephews to death. Following his arrest, his son asked Mircea Basescu to intervene to the judges to get a lighter conviction or to get the accusations discharged and allegedly paid him EUR 250,000 to do so.

The DNA acted on a criminal complaint made by Florin Anghel against Mircea Basescu for alleged influence trading, deceit and misleading judiciary authorities. This came after Mircea Basescu himself made a complaint against Florin Anghel for blackmail. Basescu said that Anghel had asked him for EUR 280,000 in return for not publishing compromising information about him and his family.

The whole scandal burst after Sandu Anghel was sentenced to 8 years and 9 months in jail, without parole, at the end of May this year.

Both Sandu Anghel and Mircea Basescu were interrogated by the prosecutors on Thursday. This came one day after the Antena 3 news television broadcast a video and audio recording which allegedly demonstrates that Mircea Basescu received the EUR 250,000 from Sandu Anghel’s son.

The news station also implied that the President allegedly knew about this arrangement, which prompted Traian Basescu to hold a press conference on Thursday, at noon, in which he denied any involvement in this case.

“I never had a conversation with my brother, Mircea Basescu, about any support for Sandu Anghel in any of his trials,” Basescu said. He added that he will not interfere in any way with the justice process on his brother’s behalf.

editor@romania-insider.com