Bucharest court decides Gigi Becali, newly elected in the European Parliament, cannot leave Romania

A Bucharest court decided on Tuesday that Gigi Becali, a Romanian businessman-politician who was elected for the European Parliament in European elections on Sunday, cannot leave Romania. Bucharest District 1 court judges decided to reject a request by Becali to lift an interdiction imposed on him for leaving the country.

The decision can be appealed. Gigi Becali’s legal representative told Romanian news television Realitatea TV they would challenge the verdict.

The interdiction was applied on Becali’s release from prison this spring, when he’s been arrested in a case in which, according to prosecutors, Becali had his guards retain a group of men who had stolen his car.