A senior politician from the ruling party has been arrested on allegations that he took a bribe of one-quarter of a million euros.
The Social Democratic Party has expelled Dumitru Buzatu, chairman of the Vaslui County Council and his wife.
The scandal came after Buzatu was intercepted while receiving a bag containing the approximately 250,000 euros from a businessman on Friday evening.
The businessman, Emil Savin, a former close associate of Buzatu, reported the kickback to prosecutors. The money Buzatu demanded represented 10% of the value of a contract with the Vaslui county council for road repairs.
Savin said that Buzatu regularly demanded a minimum of 10% cut from contractors for road infrastructure projects in the county.
The Vaslui court ordered Buzatu’s pre-trial detention for 30 days.
Buzatu is one of the most influential local Social Democratic leaders, serving his third term as county chief.
Romania calls local influential and wealthy corrupt politicians “local barons”, who have impoverished counties for many years.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu who is the Social Democrat chairman announced the expulsion of Buzatu and his ex-wife from the party. Their son Tudor Buzatu resigned as state secretary in the government’s central office.
