Clotilde Armand sentenced to one year, but execution deferred as she vows appeal

Clotilde Armand has been sentenced to one year in prison, but she will not serve the sentence for now. The Bucharest Sector 1 Court deferred its enforcement, and the ruling is not final.

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Today, the Sector 1 Court ordered the deferral of the sentence in the case concerning the alleged conflict of interest. The court established a sentence of one year, but ordered its enforcement to be deferred. There is no damage established in this case. Zero lei.

The former Sector 1 mayor and current USR deputy leader was convicted of repeatedly using her position to favor certain people in a case involving an alleged conflict of interest. Armand criticized the decision in a Facebook post and said the case had followed years of legal harassment after a complaint from the Social Democratic Party, or PSD.

“Today, the Sector 1 Court ordered the deferral of the sentence in the case concerning the alleged conflict of interest,” Armand wrote. “The court established a sentence of one year, but ordered its enforcement to be deferred. There is no damage established in this case. Zero lei.”

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I have maintained from the beginning that I acted legally, in good faith and without seeking any improper benefit.

Armand said the case had been used as a political weapon and accused opponents of declaring her a criminal before a final judgment. She said she had acted legally and in good faith, denied seeking an improper benefit and pledged to challenge the ruling on appeal. She also pointed to what she described as unanswered questions, including changes among the prosecutors handling the case and the replacement of the judicial panel.

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For years, this case was used as a political weapon.

Armand said the ruling currently imposed no restriction on her right to be elected or to stand as a candidate. She vowed to continue her political work and her appeal, while addressing Social Democratic figures including Sorin Grindeanu and saying they should not remove USR politicians from politics through what she called politically driven cases.

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I currently have no restriction in force on my right to be elected or to stand as a candidate.