Diaconescu is charged with two counts of blackmailing, one regarding Ion Mot, mayor of a commune in Arad county, western Romania, and another concerning businessman Paul Petru Tardea.
According to prosecutors’ bill of indictment, Diaconescu and Parv allegedly demanded money from Mot to avoid broadcasting compromising material about him. The TV station owner threatened Mot, both directly and through Parv, in an attempt to get Mot to give them EUR200,000.
Prosecutors said that, in April 2005, Diaconescu also threatened businessman Tardea, both directly and through Ghezea, who was the producer of a show broadcast on Diaconescu’s TV station, to makeTardea give them EUR100,000 in exchange for not disclosing alleged offences committed by the businessman.
Diaconescu and Parv were arrested on June 23, 2010 on charges of blackmail. The former was released from custody on June 25 and received a travel ban which is valid until November 21. Parv was released from custody on August 4.