Appeal of soccer patron Gigi Becali resumed with same judges despite challenge

The trial was suspended after Becali's defense asked for the judges to be changed because the lawyers were not allowed to see some video tapes containing images from inside the bar where the thieves were allegedly restrained. The videos were taken from the mobile phone of one of the defendants.

Lawyer Catalin Dancu declared that the new evidence had not been checked and therefore asked for it to be removed from the file. Moreover, Dancu asked for more time so that the lawyers could analyze the evidence and demanded for the actual video tapes, not just the transcripts.

The defense lawyers presented last week an 18 minute recording of their own taken in the same bar, but the judges decided not to take it into consideration because it is not conclusive.

Some 400 people gathered in front of the court today to support the owner of one of the most popular Romanian soccer teams, Steaua Bucuresti, wearing T-shorts with “Free Gigi”and waving placards that said “Gigi is innocent”. Women held icons and said prayers. 

Among demonstrators there were also some 80 persons from the village of Vadu Rosca, where Becali erected houses for the people in distress after massive floods, along with sympathizers of the patron's party PNG and some representatives of a gypsy community in Bucharest for which Becali paid the electricity bill.  

Becali received a 29 day preventive arrest warrant for illegally restraining three persons who had allegedly stolen his car. If found guilty, Becali could look at three to ten years in prison.