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Romanian Pres Accuses Media, Politicians Of ‘Dirty’ Deal In EP Campaign

Romanian president Traian Basescu on Tuesday pointed to a “dirty” understanding between private television stations and politicians on the free broadcast of some electoral videos in the campaign for the European Parliament elections in exchange for unregistered public money from the candidates.
Romanian Pres Accuses Media, Politicians Of 'Dirty' Deal In EP Campaign
14 iul. 2009, 21:10, English

Basescu said he wanted a rapid change even before the scandal around former youth and sports minister Monica Ridzi, as he had learnt of “a dirty deal between politicians and two media groups on the free broadcast of the candidates’ electoral campaign videos in exchange for unregistered public money from the politicians”.

He said that on May 29, when he found out of this "heroic" decision of the media companies to broadcast campaign videos free of charge, he asked those in charge of his daughter’s campaign to immendiately stop the broadcast of any electoral film.

“I had learnt of the deal and my daughter, along other politicians, would have had to pay their share to the televisions,” Basescu said.

Ridzi stepped down earlier Tuesday, after the parliament committee requested prosecution proceedings on charges of embezzlement and abuse of office.

The allegations were forwarded by liberal MPs, who claimed Ridzi mishandled money allocated for organizing the celebrations on Youth Day.