The High Court of Cassation and Justice issued on Wednesday, January 10, an arrest warrant in absence for Radu Mazare, the former mayor of Constanta, who went to Madagascar before Christmas and said he would ask for political asylum there.

The arrest warrant was issued at the request of the National Anticorruption Department (DNA). However, the court’s decision is not final.

Radu Mazare, who is being prosecuted for corruption in Romania, said he decided to leave the country because he stands no chance to a fair trial here. He was investigated under judicial control but had no interdiction to leave the country.

Mazare, 49, served as mayor of Constanta from June 2000 until May 2015. He is best known for his eccentricities and for the parades he organized and led in the seaside resort of Mamaia dressed as a pharaoh, sultan and even as a Nazi officer. He used to spend his holidays in Brazil until he discovered Madagascar, where he also planned to invest some EUR 300,000 in a holiday resort with bungalows and a restaurant, according to Mediafax.

His brother Alexandru Mazare, a former senator, also left to Madagascar on holiday, his lawyer told the court earlier this week. However, he said he would come back.

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com