In Romania, high-level corruption resists reform

By Justyna Pawlak

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Chocolate and candy are among the things a Romanian football club owner said he wanted his representatives to buy with 1.7 million euros, found in a car near a restaurant where they were watching a match.

Gigi Becali, owner of Steaua Bucharest, later said the money was to buy a plot of land. He is now under investigation for alleged corruption related to football championships.

In the same week, Romanian President Traian Basescu called the country's Constitutional Court "a shield" for corruption.

The comment earned him reprimands from politicians across the spectrum. Combined with the Becali affair, it shows how corruption is a day-to-day concern in Romania.

Basescu's comments touched a raw nerve in the Black Sea state, which many observers say has regressed in reforms against high-level graft since joining the European Union last year.

As Romania heads into local government elections on June 1 with the ballots rife with candidates tainted by corruption accusations, the worry is that reforms have not been sufficient to keep corrupt officials from office.

Basescu was referring to a ruling by the Constitutional Court in March requiring prosecutors to seek parliament's approval for checks on some senior politicians.

That decision opened doors to new delays in investigations of corruption, adding to accusations that the establishment is not serious about fighting fraud.