Romanian TV Station Owner, TV Producer Detained For 24 Hours On Blackmail Charges

Diaconescu and Parv were heard by anticorruption prosecutors on Monday and the former was officially charged with blackmail in a corruption file opened in February 2010. Both Diaconescu and Parv will be brought before court on Tuesday and a court is to decide whether the two will be placed under preventive arrest.

Diaconescu was also heard by anticorruption prosecutors in February this year as witness in the case regarding a blackmail complaint filed by Ion Mot, mayor of a commune in Arad county, western Romania, against Parv.

According to sources close to the investigation, Mot accused Parv of soliciting bribe in order not to disclose on Diaconescu's TV channel images aimed to discredit him. The decision to start criminal investigations against Diaconescu, dated June 18, shows that the TV station owner threatened Mot, both directly and through Parv, in an attempt to get Mot to give them EUR200,000.

Daniel Fenechiu, Parv's lawyer, told MEDIAFAX Monday that prosecutors hold no other direct evidence against Diaconescu, except a recording of a TV show broadcast in 2009, adding that the complaint filed by Mot targeted only Parv, who made no accusations whatsoever against Diaconescu during hearings.

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