Ex-Romania PM shoots self after court’s sentence

Bucharest – Former Romanian prime minister Adrian Nastase shot himself Wednesday in an apparent suicide attempt after the Supreme Court upheld a two-year prison sentence for corruption.

Romanian media report Nastase shot himself in the throat at his home while police sat in another room. His lawyer says Nastase is conscious in a Bucharest hospital, but his condition is unclear.

Nastase, who held office between 2000 and 2004, was convicted for illegally amassing about 1.5m euros ($1.9m) for his 2004 election campaign.

He insisted that the charges were politically motivated.

Current Prime Minister Victor Ponta, described as an ally of Nastase, visited him in hospital after the incident.

Nastase’s condition was “under control”, Mr Ponta told the Associated Press news agency.

Having exhausted legal challenges available to him in Romania, Nastase’s lawyers indicated he may appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Nastase is the most senior political figure to be convicted by a court in Romania since the fall of communism in 1989.
 
Nastase was appealing a sentence on charges he illegally raised nearly $2 million for his 2004 presidential campaign. He denies the charges, calling them politically motivated.
 
Nastase was Romanian prime minister from 2000 until 2004.
 
Source: Agencies/ www.timesofearth.com