Judgment concerning Romania

In the case of Severin v. Romania the Court held that there had been no violation of the right to a fair trial/right to examine witnesses.
The case concerned the fairness of criminal proceedings against the applicant for allegedly taking bribes while he was a Member of the European Parliament. The proceedings, which saw him receive a four-year prison sentence, were initiated following the publication of an article by two British Sunday Times journalists, who had posed as lobbyists and had offered the applicant money in exchange for his support for certain legislative amendments submitted to the European Parliament.
The Court noted that there was no evidence of State involvement in the present case and that the two journalists had acted at all times as private individuals. As to the criminal proceedings as a whole, the Court considered that they had afforded the applicant adequate safeguards to exercise his defence rights. The Court further considered that the way in which the witnesses had been examined during the proceedings was also compatible with that provision, and had enabled the applicant to exercise his rights effectively.
- Press release
- Press release (Romanian)