Traian Băsescu, 4th President of Romania, courtesy of WikipediaRomania’s parliament asked President Traian Basescu to step down on Wednesday after his brother was detained for allegedly accepting a bribe to help shorten a reputed crime boss’s jail sentence.
The vote follows an earlier plea from Prime Minister Victor Ponta for Basescu to step down, Reuters reported.
“Romania’s President Traian Basescu is no longer rightfully entitled to ensure the prestige, independence and legitimacy of the presidential function, which is why he should immediately resign,” parliament’s non-binding declaration read.
The members voted 344 votes in favor with 17 abstentions.
Earlier this month, a Romanian court ordered the president’s brother, Mircea Basescu, detained for 30 days while prosecutors investigate allegations he took a bribe to help shorten the jail term of reputed crime leader Sandu Anghel.
Prosecutors said Mircea Basescu took $340,800 from Anghel’s son through a third party. The father is serving nearly nine years in jail for stabbing his nephew in 2011.
Romania will vote for a new president on November 2, and Prime Minister Ponta is expected to win. Basescu cannot run again because he has served two consecutive terms since 2005.
Traian Basescu won his first term on an anti-corruption ticket and has said he will not resign. He has denied all knowledge of his brother’s dealings.
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Julie DiMauro is the executive editor of FCPA Blog and can be reached here.
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