The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) has called for 10 years imprisonment sentence for Sebastian Ghita, in his first file, involving the former Mayor of Ploiesti, Iulian Badescu, a punishment close to the maximum limit.

Sebastian Ghita is accused in this file of bribery and money laundering. This is the last hearing in the file, antena3.ro informs.

Meanwhile, Sebastian Ghita is in Serbia, where the extradition procedure is stagnating.

In July 2015, former deputy Sebastian Ghita was sued by the DNA for bribing the former Mayor of Ploiesti, Iulian Badescu.

Specifically, DNA claims that in 2013, Bădescu, as mayor of Ploieşti, instigated by Sebastian Ghiţă, illegally granted the Asesoft Ploieşti club – owned by Ghiţă – a grant from the local budget amounting to RON 1,500,000. In return for this funding, Badescu would have received from Ghiţă a house in Ploieşti worth more than RON 1,000,000.

The trial had 30 hearings and was near the end, but at the last hearing on June 20, 2017, when it was supposed to make a substantive conclusion, the three magistrates, Ana Maria Dascălu, Stefan Pistol and Cristina Geanina Arghir, decided to postpone the trial until Sebastian Ghiţă was brought from Serbia, arguing that he had to say his last word in the courtroom, although his lawyers had agreed to be interviewed by videoconference.

“Sebastian Ghiţă is not in Romania and his right of movement is restricted. The panel considers that the defendant should be given time to appear in court. The right to defence is a personal right and a fair trial should be made,” panel president Ana Maria Dascălu said at the time.

The High Court of Cassation and Justice (ICCJ – Supreme Court) is to decide on Tuesday whether the files in which former deputy Sebastian Ghiţă is tried resume from scratch after the retirement of Judge Ana Maria Dascălu.

Sebastian Ghita was arrested in Serbia in April, but he was released from the Belgrade police arrest in May after he had paid EUR 200,000 as bail. He is banned from leaving the Serbian capital and must go to the police twice a month. Ghita told Serbian judges that he doesn’t agree to the extradition request filed by the Romanian Justice Ministry, arguing “he is politically persecuted”.

20 September 2017

Romania Journal

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