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Two Romanian High Officials Detained For Alleged Complicity To Drug Dealing

Romanian anticorruption prosecutors detained Cornel Serban, head of the General Intelligence and Internal Protection Department (DGIPI), and Petre Pitcovici, head of the Operations Division within the General Anticorruption Department, for alleged complicity to crimes.
Two Romanian High Officials Detained For Alleged Complicity To Drug Dealing
25 mart. 2009, 11:00, English

Tuesday night, the anticorruption prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 24 hours for Serban and Pitcovici and heard the two in connection with drug dealing.
 
Judicial sources said prosecutors would resume hearings on Wednesday, around noon, and subsequently refer Serban and Pitcovici to the Supreme Court, with the proposal to place the two under preventive arrest.
 
Back in 2005, Pitcovici was allegedly involved in a case regarding the alleged disappearance of six kilos of cocaine, known as the "Venezuela deal."
 
In this case, former undercover agent Petre Dumitrescu filed a criminal complaint, accusing certain people of trying to hush up the case, considering that the cocaine operation received green light from prosecutor Flavius Craznic, who subsequently became adviser of the justice minister at the time.
 
At the time, the press bureau of the Public Ministry informed that Craznic was cleared of charges in the “Venezuela deal” through Ordinance 267/P/2005 of July 14, 2005.
 
The Supreme Court prosecutors subsequently informed they would continue probes into police officers Petre Pitcovici and Sorin Marius Bosgan.
 
The Romanian General Police Department said the General Anti-drug Department launched an investigation to look into allegations targeting the involvement of several anti-drug police officers in the disappearance of the six kilos of cocaine.
 
According to police officers, preliminary investigations revealed that all operations in this case were unfolded in compliance with the local and international laws, under the constant watch and authorization of the Prosecutors’ Office with the Supreme Court – the Organized Crime and Anti-drug Department Fighting, therefore, all allegations proved ungrounded.
 
On July 18, 2003, Dumitrescu was placed under preventive arrest by the Bucharest Court, on charges of drug dealing, and released in May 2005.