Romanian businessman jailed for bribing judges dies

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Dan Adamescu, one of Romania's richest businessmen who was serving a prison sentence for bribery, has died. He was 68.

Daughter-in-law Adriana Constantinescu told Romania TV that Adamescu died early Tuesday in a private hospital where he had been transferred from prison for treatment for an infection.

The paper he owned, Romania Libera, said he had been in an induced coma since December 2016 and was suffering from septicemia. He had been in ill health for some time and was wheelchair-bound. His lawyers' requests for his early release on health grounds were not granted. His paper called that unjust, and called for a post-mortem inquiry.

In a statement sent to The Associated Press, the paper said he was "one of the most important investors in the Romanian press" after the fall of communism in the country.

It noted he had returned to Romania from Germany after 1989, where he emigrated to in the 1970s, and built up a series of successful businesses.

In May, Adamescu was sentenced to four years and four months in prison for instructing his lawyer to pay bribes of 20,000 euros ($20,150) to judges in December 2013.

The bribes were related to insolvency cases involving his companies. One judge got more than 12 years imprisonment, while three other judges got lesser prison sentences.

Adamescu's lawyer reportedly threw himself in front of a subway train after one of the judges' 2014 arrest.

In March 2016, Adamescu was also charged with causing 800 million lei ($191million) in damages from 2011 to 2013 to SC Astra Insurance company, where he was chairman of the board. The case was due to go to trial.

Adamescu was reportedly worth 850 million lei ($20.3 million) in 2015. Apart from the Romania Libera newspaper, he had a majority stake in a shopping center and various upscale hotels.

No funeral plans were immediately announced. He is survived by a son and three grandchildren.