Former Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase tried to kill himself on Wednesday evening (June 20 ), before being taken into custody by the Police and sent to jail, following the Supreme Court decision in a corruption case earlier during the day. He shot himself in the neck with a 9 mm gun that he owned. Nastase was rushed into the Emergency Room at the Floreasca Emergency Hospital in Bucharest, where he is going through surgery. Authorities will start an investigation into the attempted suicide.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta, member of the same party – the Social Democratic Party (PSD) as Adrian Nastase – arrived at the hospital late at night, after withholding from any comments during the day. He said he could not stay at home as he wanted to see what was happening with a person who was in a tough situation.
The Supreme Court ruled two years in jail for former Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, a definitive sentence which came on Wednesday (June 20 ), after the former PM had appealed the conviction received earlier this year. The decision is final and was taken in unanimity by five judges who deliberated for about six hours. Nastase did not attend the appeal hearing. He had 24 hours to be taken into custody and sent to the Rahova prison, but the Police arrived at his house in Bucharest on Wednesday evening. The policemen who arrived at his house prevented him from killing himself.
Earlier information pointed to Nastase’s plans to appeal the decision at the European Court of Human Rights. The former PM was found guilty of having financed his election campaigns with funds collected for the symposium ‘Quality Trophy’, organized by the State Inspectorate for Quality in Construction in 2004.