UPDATE – Former minister Darius Vâlcov came out in handcuffs from the DNA premises and was taken into the central detention.
UPDATE – Former Minister of Finance Darius Vâlcov has been detained Wednesday afternoon by the DNA prosecutors in the case file in which he is accused of influence peddling after he had allegedly intervened as mayor of Slatina in the awarding of some contracts to a businessman.
Prosecutors decided to issue an order of detention for 24 hours on behalf of the former minister
UPDATE. The DNA request to approve the detention and placement in custody in the case of Darius Vâlcov has been endorsed by the Senate with 97 votes "in favor", sources say.
UPDATE - Darius Vâlcov came out a while ago from the DNA hearings. Vâlcov did not wish to comment and when asked what he wanted for his birthday he replied he wanted the Tax Code to be passed by the Parliament.
UPDATE - Darius Vâlcov arrived a while back at the DNA, to be heard by the prosecutors. The former minister could go in remand if senators vote for it.
Former Minister of Finance, Darius Vâlcov learns today if he gets arrested. His colleagues in the Senate will vote on the request for arrest issued on behalf of Vâlcov by the DNA. The legal committee senators gave 5 votes for the arrest, 5 votes against and one abstention.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have made a new request for the arrest of Darius Vâlcov, including for acts committed during his tenure as minister. In the new folder, the former minister is accused of influence peddling and making financial operations incompatible with the office held.
The request for the initiation of the prosecution and detention of the former minister reads that the prosecutors found in Vâlcov’s safe $ 90,000, 3 gold bars, two paintings of great value and a significant amount in lei.
According to DNA prosecutors, from 2011 to the present, Darius Valcov would have owned and operated by his middlemen a cadastral survey company, an accounting company and a law firm. Through the 3 companies, he had allegedly concluded financial transactions, using the information he possessed as minister, investigators say.
The money from these transactions were stored in a vault, which Darius Vâlcov had allegedly given to a friend of his to keep. In the safe, investigators found $ 90,000 and 1,300,000 lei, three gold bars, two paintings by Jean Cocteau and Rennoir, and a painting on wood.
While prosecutors were filing a new application for his prosecution and arrest, the former minister was heard in the Senate Legal Committee for the first request of provisional arrest.
After he supported his view before his colleagues in the committee, five members of the committee voted in favor of the DNA request, five were against and one member of the committee abstained.
Before giving a vote, the committee has found that out of the 8 DNA volumes sent to Parliament, one had no connection with this case.
The Legal committee report is only advisory. The final decision regarding the arrest of Darius Vâlcov belongs to the Senate plenum.