Mayor of Straseni arrested for taking €4,000 bribe

The Mayor of Straseni Constantin Priguza is suspected of asking for and taking €4,000 bribe from a company for signing documents accepting the works performed for the mayor's office, Info-Prim Neo reports. In a communique, the Center for Combating Corruption and Economic Crime says the mayor was caught in the act of taking the €4,000 marked 'bribe' on Monday, January 24. Earlier, the mayor received 10,000 lei from the same company for hastening the transfer of money from the mayor's office to the firm's account. The mayor was placed under arrest for 72 hours. He faces up to 10 years in jail and a fine of up to 60,000 lei for passive corruption. Constantin Priguza was earlier involved in a scandal concerning the violation of the right to safety and of the right to information. In December 2009, a cameraman of Hyde Park Association complained that the mayor of Straseni treated him rudely and made him leave the meeting hall of the Straseni Council. Hyde Park members said Constantin Priguza mistreated other young people on different occasions and should be dismissed. Later, in April 2010, the local councilors gave him a vote of no confidence, accusing him of nontransparent work and of not attending the meetings of the Straseni Council. But the mayor preserved the post.