Romania Decrees Prison Terms for Relief Profiteers
President Ion Iliescu today decreed prison terms for those who stole relief goods, and he met with French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas--the first such Western official to visit Romania since its popular revolution.
A senior official also said 10,000 people died in the revolt that toppled dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Iliescu has declared Friday a day of mourning in Romania for those who died.
Dumas conveyed a message from French President Francois Mitterrand pledging support for the “consolidation of the conquests of the popular revolution and for political stability,” the official Rompres news agency said.
At a later news conference, Dumas said projects under discussion included a development bank and health-related programs, but declined to elaborate.
Official Bucharest Radio disclosed that some people “stole and sold for profit goods received as aid from abroad,” and said the National Salvation Front, the interim leading body, has decreed prison terms of three to 10 years for the offenders.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
