What the newspapers say: May 9, 2008

Although the electoral circus generally has an average ridiculous image, it seems that, this year, the battle for popularity risks to cause much more damage than usual. Drug stores may soon run out of important drugs, simply because the Health Minister wants to postpone the price growth until after the elections, thus „improving” the image of his party.

Evenimentul Zilei warns on this extremely serious problem: after the protest of distribution companies, which refuse to provide medication for the current price, over one thousand products are about to disappear from the market, including anti-diabetes drugs, insulin, oncology products and post-transplant drugs. All because it would be a „bad move” to accept the price growth before the elections, the newspaper comments.

In the scandal of the year, controversial businessman Gigi Becali was informed yesterday on the accusations Anti-Graft prosecutors formulated against him. For attempting to bribe a football team in the last game of the Romanian championship, Becali risks up to 5 years in jail, most newspapers inform.

In another important scandal, the Accounting Court verified the way the City Hall paid for boardwalk kerb stones and found a 10 million euro „black hole”: a prejudice caused by the way mayor Videanu treated his party’s favorite companies. The loss was caused by improper procurement procedures, illegal advance payments or payments for equipment never used and works never completed, Gandul reads.

Meanwhile, three prosecutors accused of accepting bribe in order to name certain people in high dignity positions lost their jobs, while their trial is about to begin, Romania Libera informs.