The Justice Ministry sent back to the House of Deputies on Wednesday a previously rejected request to approve searches at two buildings owned by House speaker Adrian Nastase, currently investigated under graft charges related to suspicious real estate operations.

A request in this regard was sent to the House on Monday but was rejected for procedural reasons. The new move shows no changes except for an attached letter in which Justice minister Monica Macovei insists that constitutional procedures have been fully respected.

She says that the National Anti-Corruption Department is right to investigate Nastase, a parliamentarian, in the locally famous "Zambaccian" case, despite that on Monday the House dismissed the move.

The ministry sent the request at the call of the chief prosecutor of the DNA, Daniel Morar, whom former Social-Democratic (PSD) prime minister Adrian Nastase accuses of being "politically motivated" in his moves against members of the previous PSD government.

The rejection on Monday prompted Liberal deputy Dragos Ujeniuc to submit a new complaint against Nastase at the High Court of Justice today.

Ujeniuc claims Nastase committed abuse in office by rejecting the first ministry request for the House approval to searches at his properties in Bucharest (Zambaccian Street) and the village of Cornu.