High court prosecutors demanded the approval of the Romanian Senate on Tuesday to investigate former Economy minister Codrut Seres. The politician is investigated in a file on strategic privatizations. The request comes as anti-graft prosecutors also demanded approval to investigate current Labor minister Paul Pacuraru and former Transports minister Miron Mitrea.

Seres said on Tuesday that the request shows "we are now in an electoral year", as local and parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2008.

The Constitutional Court ruled in March this year that prosecutors need the approval of the Parliament to launch criminal inquiries on former and current ministers and members of the Parliament.