ROMANIA: Romania has charged the parliamentary speaker and former prime minister with corruption over allegedly shady property deals.
Prime minister from 2000- 2004, Adrian Nastase (55) is the highest-ranking target of a crackdown on crime launched by his political enemy president Traian Basescu, whom Brussels has told to crush corruption in Romania before EU accession next January.
Mr Nastase said prosecutors had accused him of effectively taking a bribe in 1998 when he bought land in a prestigious part of Bucharest, for a fraction of its market value, from a relative of Social Democratic Party (PSD) colleague Gabriel Bivolaru.
Mr Bivolaru was at the time facing charges of defrauding a state bank of €57 million and is serving a five-year sentence. Romanian media reported that Mr Nastase allegedly bought the land for the equivalent of €11,000 - 25 times below its true value.
Last month he told prosecutors inquiring about his wealth that he had inherited €300,000 and three apartments from an apparently impoverished aunt who died last year.
"This has all the markings of a public execution," said Mr Nastase, who denies any wrongdoing. "You must be mad to launch an accusation of bribe-taking against a former prime minister without having any backing."
Mr Nastase was beaten by Mr Basescu in December 2004 presidential elections and his PSD party was ousted by his rival's allies after dominating Romanian politics since communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was ousted in 1989.
"When Romanians hear the word 'corruption' more than two-thirds of them think of the PSD," current party leader Mircea Geoana said this week. "Our party is going through a grave image crisis." But Mr Nastase insists he has nothing to apologise for. "I am a victim of the political police established by president Traian Basescu," he said.
"By hunting down its political opponents, those in power hope to show Brussels its commitment in the fight against corruption."
Neighbouring Bulgaria is also struggling to combat corruption at all levels as it strives to be ready for EU membership next year.
State prosecutors said this week that Hristo Grigorov, the head of the Bulgarian Red Cross, had been accused of involvement in a scheme that sold donated clothes and medicine for profit. Mr Grigorov denies the charge.