Former tourism Minister Elena Udrea was released from prison on parole on Thursday after serving just over half of a six-year sentence for bribery, abuse of office and tax evasion over a boxing match.
She was granted parole for good behavior after a court earlier rejected an appeal against her release filed by anti-corruption prosecutors.
Ms Udrea, 51, was one of Romania’s most powerful and controversial politicians due to her close relationship with former President Traian Basescu. She was incarcerated in the Târgșor women’s Prison in 2022 after being extradited from Bulgaria where she fled when she was convicted.
”I thank God that this challenging period has ended,” she said walking out of prison, where she was met by her partner. She said she looked forward to seeing her daughter at home.
She was convicted in what was known as the “Gala Bute” case, in which prosecutors accused her of coordinating a scheme through which people close to her received money from business representatives in exchange for timely payments on contracts funded by the Ministry of Tourism.
Investigators said the money either went directly to Elena Udrea, in cash or payments for goods and services, or to the Bucharest branch of the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) and former chairman of the Romanian Boxing Federation president Rudel Obreja.
She was also accused of pressuring ministry officials to break procurement rules when arranging advertising services for the boxing event featuring Lucian Bute.
The damages in the case were estimated at EUR 3 million.
The former minister argued that she had worked in prison, by helping other inmates, setting up a reading club and and teaching fellow prisoners to read and write, as well as to sew.
Anti-corruption prosecutors argued that Udrea should not be freed, claiming she had not rehabilitated herself or shown she regretted her actions.
Udrea’s attorney argued that other high-profile politicians had benefited from parole such as former Prime Minister Adrian Năstase and Social Democrat chairman Liviu Dragnea. Neither publicly admitted committing wrongdoing but were still released before serving their full sentences.
In the reasoning behind the decision issued by the Ploiești Court, “it is stated that Elena Udrea showed solid evidence of rehabilitation, had no disciplinary sanctions, maintained consistently positive behavior throughout her prison term, and was rewarded on 16 occasions.”
Known for her glamorous looks and expensive purses, Ms Udrea’s influence came from her personal connections to Basescu who was in office from 2004 to 2014. She served as minister of tourism and regional development from 2008 to 2012.
