Bucharest Sector 2 Mayor Charged With Corruption
Bucharest sector 2 mayor Neculai Ontanu was detained Wednesday on corruption charges and anticorruption prosecutors will seek court orders to have him arrested on Thursday.
Ontanu is the fifth of Bucharest’s seven mayors to face arrest since the last local election.
In 2006-2007, Ontanu allegedly received a 1,500 sqm land plot to help a litigious rights owner gain possession of several land plots totaling 8.35 hectares located in sector 2. Ontanu received the land through fictitious transactions that were concluded through a lawyer.
The investigation also targets Loredana Radu, a lawyer who defended former prime minister Victor Ponta. (Puterea)
Romanian Lawmakers Fail To Appoint Public Television Manager
Romania’s national public television remains in an impasse due to political conflicts between social democrat and liberal lawmakers, blocking the appointment of a new president-general manager.
Lacking political consensus over the appointment of George Orbean, backed by liberals, social democrats sabotaged the vote in Parliament by not ensuring the necessary quorum.
The appointment will be put to the vote again next week. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Household Consumers May Buy Electricity From Producers
Household consumers may switch electricity suppliers even if it means discarding regulated tariffs and may get their power directly from producers.
For the time being, not many Romanians have taken this step, nor are suppliers in a rush to tap this market segment. So far, RCS-RDS, whose core business is in the media and telecom industries, has tapped the household consumer market, monopolized by energy giants E.ON, CEZ, Enel, and Electrica. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Weather Stays Cold And Overcast
Maximum temperatures across Romania will range from 2 degrees in the northeast to 12 degrees in the south, as the weather remains cold for this time of year.
Rain will continue to fall and the weather remains overcast until Friday, when meteorologists say the rains will stop but temperatures will remain low. (Puterea)