Corruption

The latest Romanian news is that the ex prime minister is charged with bribery. He owns this $2 million apartment, filled with expensive art worth another $4-5 mil, all from his meager $30,000 a year. The prosecutors are trying to search his house but becuase he is a senator they have to get the warrant approved by the senate speaker, according to Romanian constitution. Now guess who is the senate speaker? Yep, the same ex-prime minister, Mr. Adrian Nastase. Isn't that convenient!

At the same time in the U.S. a congressman was sentenced to 8 years in prison for corruption. He aparently received gifts amounting $2.4 million, which is literally nothing for somebody relatively affluent in the States. These are some gifts Cunningham received.

-- A Rolls-Royce
-- Yacht-shopping trip: $15,000
-- Two rugs: $40,000 each
-- French lampshade: $3,500
-- China hutch: $24,000
-- Hall tree: $3,700
-- Statue: $12,000
-- Moving expenses: $11,393
-- 42-foot yacht: $140,000
-- 3 shooting simulators: $13,800

If all this was worth 8 years I hope we'll get to see how much Nastase's Tizian, Rafael or Frans Francken are worth.