The High Court of Cassation reduced by one year the sentence of former PSD MP Cristian Rizea, on the grounds that the statute of limitations for the money-laundering crime of Rizea, who fled Romania to Chisinau after his conviction in 2019, was extradited. this year – he now has to serve three years and eight months in prison for influence peddling.

On Monday, the Supreme Court upheld Rizea’s appeal to set aside the final 2019 sentence.

“By majority, it accepts the appeal to set aside filed by appellant Rizea Christian against Criminal Decision no. 62 of March 18, 2019, pronounced by the Supreme Court of Cassation and a panel of 5 judges (…). On the basis of Art. 432 par. (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, partially annuls criminal resolution No. 62 of March 18, 2019, issued by the High Court of Cassation and Justice – a panel of 5 judges, in case no. 2648/1/2018, only with regard to the convicted Rize Christian and only with regard to the omission of the statute of limitations for the crime of money laundering (…), and ruling, within these limits, the appeal filed by the accused appellant Rize Christian against the criminal sentence no. 680 of December 7, 2017, issued by the High Court of Cassation and Justice – Criminal Division, in case no. 1291/1/2016″, according to the court protocol, News.ro reports.

The magistrates decided to reduce the sentence to four years and eight months of imprisonment and two years of additional punishment of the prohibition of certain rights.

The court reinstated the punishment in their individuality, namely: three years of imprisonment and two years of additional punishment with the prohibition of certain rights, for abuse of influence, three years of imprisonment and two years of additional punishment with the prohibition of certain rights. rights, for money laundering and two years in prison and one year of additional punishment in the form of prohibition of certain rights for influence statements.

As the criminal proceedings in the money-laundering case ended due to the intervention of the statute of limitations, the magistrates upheld the penalties imposed for the other crimes. The court combined the punishments, applied the most severe – three years of imprisonment, to which he added another eight months. In the end, Christian Rizea must serve a sentence of three years and eight months in prison, from which the period he has spent in prison until now (from April 27, 2023) will be deducted.

The court’s decision is final.

Escape to the Republic of Moldova

In March 2019, former deputy Christian Rize was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison in a corruption case. He fled to the Republic of Moldova to avoid prison and was extradited to the country in April 2023.

In November 2020, the former president of the Republic of Moldova, Ihor Dodon, deprived Christian Rizea of ​​his citizenship. ​Dodon claimed that he would not grant Moldovan citizenship to the former SDP deputy, but would deprive him and extradite him to Romania. On the same day, the police announced that Rize was detained and questioned in Chisinau, and on November 4, the Romanian Ministry of Justice announced that it had sent a request to the authorities of the Republic of Moldova to extradite former deputy Cristian Rize. . On November 6, 2020, the Chisinau court issued a warrant for the arrest of former PSD deputy Christian Rizea.

In February 2021, Cristian Rizea was released on the grounds that the maximum term of a person in custody in the Republic of Moldova before extradition had expired.

On March 31, 2021, Rize was sent to court by the prosecutor’s office of the Republic of Moldova for false statements made during the acquisition of citizenship of this country, through the procedure for the recognition of citizenship in 2017. According to the prosecutors, during this procedure, in the completed form, Rizea would indicate information that does not correspond to the truth.

Charges in the case for which he was convicted

In March 2016, PSD MP Cristian Rizea was sent to court for influence peddling and money laundering together with businessman Lucian Coltea, who allegedly gave him €300,000 to intervene with RAAPPS regarding the retrocession of a plot of land in a residential area of ​​Bucharest and at Chiaina City Hall for a controversial the land

According to DNA, on December 2, 2009, by prior agreement, Christian Rizea received the sum of €200,000 from the American businessman Lucian Coltea, and a few days later, on December 6, 2009, he received another €100,000 to intervene in the Administration of the State Heritage Protocol of the Autonomous Region (RAAPPS) and in Chiajna Town Hall.

In exchange for the money, Lucian Coltea wanted to speed up the retrocession procedures of a plot of land located in a residential area of ​​Bucharest for a member of his family and to obtain ownership of another plot of land in a dispute with the municipality of Chiaina. “In order to hide the true nature of the origin of the amount of 300,000 euros received by MP Rize Christian as an object of influence peddling, four false loan agreements were drawn up,” prosecutors told DNA.

The investigators also accuse Rize that in December 2015, during the investigation of the criminal proceedings, he approached two witnesses and told them not to tell the truth to the authorities of the criminal proceedings. Allegedly, Rizea promised these two that in the future of becoming mayor of Sector 5, he would offer them free commercial space in the Kotrochen area to open a clinic.

Christian Rizea was placed under judicial control on March 10, 2016, a day after the Chamber of Deputies approved his detention but rejected DNA’s request to approve preventive arrest. As part of the preventive measure, Riese had to post a bail of 1.5 million lei.

Christian Rizea published the book “Rizea’s Confessions”, in which he accuses several businessmen, politicians, journalists or service officers of being organized in criminal groups that “robbed Romania”.