BUCHAREST, Romania – A court has sentenced the former chairman of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to five years in prison for influence peddling and taking bribes.
The High Court of Justice and Cassation on Thursday sentenced Mihail Vlasov, chairman of the chamber from 2007 to 2014, to five years in prison. The ruling is final.
Prosecutors say Vlasov demanded 1 million euros ($1.14 million) from a businessman, saying that he could influence arbitrators at Romania's Court of International Commercial Arbitration to help the man recover losses in a litigation suit. In March 2014, Vlasov was caught receiving 200,000 euros ($228,000) from the businessman in a Bucharest restaurant.
Romania has intensified its anti-corruption drive in the past year.
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