Court gives go-ahead for arrest of policemen

A court has ruled that 15 Romanian policemen can be arrested on bribe-taking and abuse charges after a colleague posing as a prostitute gathered evidence against them.

The court will be deciding whether another 14 policemen will also be arrested for 29 days, awaiting trial.

Prosecutor Bogdan Staicu said that the men had threatened prostitutes and demanded protection fees instead of fining them when they were caught soliciting for business.

In one case, Staicu says a prostitute was handcuffed by an officer, who refused to allow her to call a lawyer, before he freed her six hours later.

Staicu said the policemen also stopped expensive cars, told drivers they had broken the law, and then advised that they could avoid fines and penalty points if they paid bribes.