What the newspapers say: June 19, 2008

Two gangs were arrested on Wednesday: one formed by Bucharest interlopes, the other – by policemen and their accomplices. One way or another, both are connected to the recent electoral campaign for the local elections. In other news: Mercedes will not invest in Romania and former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase is defended by his colleagues in the Parliament, who try to keep him away from Court.

17 policemen and their accomplices were arrested in Curtea de Arges on Tuesday, suspect of forming an organized crime group. The policemen demanded sums between 700 and 4,500 euro to issue drivers’ licenses for various clients. One of the people who recently passed the exam in front of these policemen is the new 4th district mayor in Bucharest, Cristian Popescu Piedone, Evenimentul Zilei reads.

In Bucharest, another organized crime group was arrested, still one of their leaders managed to flee. Sile Pietroi, who is now under general pursuit, may have sponsored the Democrat-Liberal candidate to the Bucharest 1st district mayor’s office, Razvan Murgeanu. The group dealt with everything from loan sharks to street fights, robberies, torture, illegal real-estate deals and sequestrations. Policemen say it is possible for Pietroi to have been warned, since a similar actions a few months ago also failed because he was tipped, Evenimentul Zilei informs.

The first private energy plant will be opened in Romania by Enel and E.On, with an 800 MW power. The thermal plant may be just the first, since at least three other need immediate investments in order to survive, same Evenimentul Zilei informs.

Also in business: Mercedes decided that its future investment will be made in Hungary, where its 800 million euro will create some 2,500 jobs. The possible location in Romania was not chosen because of the poor condition of the roads and infrastructure, Gandul reads. Mercedes first considered locations in Romania, Poland, Serbia and Hungary.

In the Parliament: former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase is protected by his colleagues, who want to prevent the opening of a criminal investigation against him. Nastase says that the files opened by the National Anti-Graft Prosecution Office have political grounds, Gandul notes.

A bit of history: Cotidianul found out that the legend saying that Romanians were forced to collaborate with Ceausescu’s political police, Securitate, is just a myth. „Having no choice” is not a valid argument, the newspaper claims, quoting a recent study by CNSAS, the body researching the Securitate archives.

A piece of good news: farmers will receive some 170 million euro as non-refundable EU funds. Over one third of the development projects submitted to the authorities were approved, Jurnalul National reads.