Romania: 6 sentenced to prison for money laundering, crime

Six people including a former minister and a lawmaker have been sentenced to prison for money laundering, insider trading and organised crime related to the illegal transfer of $85 million from an oil company.
The Appeals Court today sentenced former telecommunications minister Sorin Pantis to two years and eight months and Sorin Rosca Stanescu, a Liberal Party Senator, to two years and four months for being members of an organised crime group.
Pantis, currently serving a prison sentence for fraud, was also convicted of manipulating the stock markets. The four others were handed prison sentences for organised crime and insider trading.

The court ruled the individuals were involved in a plot to siphon off money owed to the state from oil company Rompetrol between 1999 and 2001.