Romanian prosecutors today charged former prime minister Adrian Nastase with blackmail and taking bribes worth €1.37 million.
Mr Nastase (55) who headed the Black Sea state's ex-communist government between 2000 and 2004, has denied the charges, which were also brought against his wife Daniela Nastase and two others.
"Prosecutors sent Adrian Nastase to court for . . . repeated bribe-taking, blackmail and . . . using his influence to obtain personal gains," the prosecutors' office said in a statement.
The investigation against Mr Nastase is one of the first instances of fighting top-level corruption in Romania, which is due to join the European Union in January.
Brussels has praised the ex-communist state's efforts to curb endemic corruption, which included an overhaul of the justice system by the ruling centrists. But it says much remains to be done.