Ex-Romanian PM summoned in court for bribing – the Tamara Aunt dossier

Romanian ex-Prime Minister Adrian Nastase (PSD) was sent to be trailed by the National Anticorruption Directorate, under the accusations of bribing in the „Matusa Tamara” (Tamara Aunt) dossier.

Adrian Nastase shares the same dossier with Ioan Melinescu – ex-president for the National Authority against Crime and Money Laundry during 2001 – 2004, accused of stealing or destroying documents, receiving bribe and information divulgation; and also Ristea Priboi, ex-councillor for PM Adrian Nastase and ex-deputy (2000 – 2004), accused of complicity in bribing and complicity in receiving bribe.

The prosecutors’ charges

According to DNA, the National Authority against Crime and Money Laundry held a proposal to inform the High Justice Court about a 400,000 US dollars deposit into the account of Nastase daniela, Adrian Nastase’s wife. Melinescu used the support of the person who later turned them in to contact Adrian Nastase and Ristea Priboi, telling them about the situation. Melinescu was member of the National Authority against Crime and Money Laundry plenum at that time. He would have promised Nastase to block the formalities until after the 2000 elections, suggesting that the dossier needs to vanish. Adrian Nastase is believed to have agreed.

Adrian Nastase was named PM on December 28, 200. In the first coming Government session, he issued a decision (H.G. nr.1399/30.12.2000) naming Melinescu president of the National Authority against Crime and Money Laundry, dismissing Adrian Cucu and several members of the institution’s plenum, which were handling the case of the 400,000 US dollars.

The prosecutors indicate that Ioan Melinescu abused his position and using the lack of strict regulations addressing the document’s circuit in the institution and handed the paper over to Ristea Priboi, the them PM (Adrian Nastase) councillor. On January 18, 2006, the National Authority against Crime and Money Laundry notified the penal investigation authorities regarding the disappearance of the document no. S3439/1999.

Adrian Nastase: I reject the false accusations, this is a political dossier

„I categorically reject the false accusations formulated against me in the Melinescu dossier. It is a dossier that started in 2006, based on the give-aways of an arrested man (Genica Boerica), who does not have any evidence regarding the accusations against me”, Adrian Nastase writes on his personal blog.

„After the 2004 elections, the prosecutors, backed by the current president, opened over 20 dossiers against me, with all sorts of aberrant accusations. One by one, the accusations were retracted and there are currently only three: the one addressing temperature-resistant windows, the one regarding the Melinescu case and the one referring to the spending from the 2004 electoral campaign”, the ex-PM claims.

„Regarding the Melinescu dossier, this can be summarised to the following: in the beginning of 2006, Genica Boerica, imprisoned at that time, (the arrest happened during my mandate, in October 2004) made a denouncement. He was accusing me that I would have promised to Ioan Melinescu the leadership of the National Authority against Crime and Money Laundry in exchange to access to that dossier. Later, Mr. Boerica admitted on TV that he had made this denouncement only to be set free”, Adrian Nastase adds.

„This dossier started for political reasons, had political aim and objectives and, as you can see, it goes to court in a political moment. I am not guilty of the accusations brought to me and I will prove it in front of the judges”, the ex-PM concludes.