Former Prime Minister of Romania Adrian Nastase was sentenced to four years in jail for blackmail and bribe taking. His wife Dana was put on probation for three years for taking part in the use of false documents at the customs authority, IPN reports, quoting the website of mediafax.ro agency.

The five-judge panel of the supreme court sentenced Adrian Nastase to four years in prison for taking bribe and to three years for blackmail. The court ordered merging the sentences. Adrian Nastase will serve the harshest of them. During five years of the serving of the sentence, Adrian Nastase will be unable to elect and to be elected in the public authorities or in public elective posts, to hold posts involving the exercise of state authority and to occupy posts or perform activities similar to those used to commit the offense.

Adrian Nastase was accused of gaining unacceptable benefits to the value of €630,000 directly and through the agency of his wife Dana Nastase while he served as Premier in 2002-2004. The benefits include the equivalent value of goods imported from China and costs related to this imports and the equivalent value of works performed at buildings owned by Nastase in Cornu and Bucharest.