Former Mayor of Bucharest arrested in Athens

The former mayor of Bucharest, convicted of corruption, was arrested in Athens on an international warrant. 70-year-old Sorin Oprescu, who was mayor of the Romanian capital from 2008 to 2015, was convicted by the Romanian bribery court, established a criminal organization and abused his power.

Last Friday, the Bucharest Court of Appeals sentenced Oprescu to 10 years and 8 months in prison for corruption.

According to Romanian media, he left the country about two weeks before the court ruling.

In 2015, Oprescu was accused of receiving € 25,000 from the former director of the Bucharest cemetery authorities.

Later, when a search of his house found a large amount of money, he could not prove where the cash came from.

No details are known about the status of Opresque’s arrest in Athens.

[kathimerini, and other Greek media]