Romanian Fraud Charged Politician Nati Meir Threatens Suicide

Meir, a former lawmaker and presidential hopeful last year, wore a yarmulke and swore on a book he claimed was the Torah. He said that he would kill himself in two weeks' time and that he has instructed his son, Or Meir, to follow suit 24 hours later.

The former deputy also uttered curses against the prosecutors and Romanian President Traian Basescu.

The Court of Bucharest decided to postpone Meir's fraud and forgery trial for June 2.

Meir is charged with fraud and forgery against eight individuals to whom he had promised large foreign currency loans and shown forged banknotes.

Prosecutors asked the Organized Crime police brigade to further investigate the case, as they have identified five more alleged victims.

Nati and Or Meir, 19, were also taken into custody Monday in an influence peddling case by the Galati Court of Appeals in eastern Romania.

The politician's son was arrested in April after he was caught rapid with EUR20,000, with which he was supposed to convince certain magistrates to repeal an arrest warrant and issue lighter sentences in a criminal lawsuit.

Nati Meir has been under arrest since October 2009. In early March he was sentenced to four years in prison for deception and tax evasion in a case for which he was indicted in 2006.

If you liked this story, please follow MEDIAFAX.RO on FACEBOOK »

The content of mediafax.ro is for your information only. Republishing or using this content is forbidden without express consent of MEDIAFAX. For this consent, please ask for it by mail at vanzari@mediafax.ro.