Romania: hospital manager sentenced to prison for bribes

A court has sentenced the former manager of the biggest hospital in southeast Romania to six years and eight months in prison for money laundering and taking bribes.

The Court of Appeal in Bucharest on Wednesday sentenced Danut Capatana, the ex-manager of the Constanta County Emergency Hospital. The ruling is final, and half as long as the sentence a lower court set.

Anti-corruption prosecutors say that from July 2009 to May 2016, Capatana demanded bribes from IT, medical services and other companies worth $1.43 million (1.26 million euros) in exchange for contracts. Prosecutors say the money was deposited in a Romanian company or in off-shore firms controlled by Capatana and his friends.

There was no immediate reaction from Capatana, now on trial in another corruption case.