Romanian tabloid newspapers Libertatea and Cancan on Tuesday publish pictures allegedly depicting a former member of the Government masturbating on webcam. The two papers also posted a webcam video recording on their websites. Contacted by the newspapers, Paul Pacuraru, a former Labor and Family minister, said he knew of a webcam video that had been used to blackmail him, but said that the last parts of the footage, where a man masturbates, do not depict him.

Pacuraru said that the individual who filmed him on webcam for the first part of the footage - where he only wears and undershirt which he later takes off and his face is seen on webcam - was of Romanian descent. He told tabloid Libertatea that two years ago he was blackmailed by two young Romanians, a man and a woman, who lived in Germany.

He acknowledged coming into contact with them by Y! Messenger, but according to him they only could have recorded the first parts of the film, to which he says they added compromising images he had nothing to do with, in order to blackmail him. Those images show a man taking of his pants and "playing" with his sexual organ, apparently in the same room that Pacuraru stayed in in previous images.

He said the two had told him they were interested in returning to Romania and that one night when on his way to chat with them he forgot the webcam on, while he was only dressed summarily.

Paul Pacuraru served as Labor and Family minister in the Liberal government of 2007-2008. He is married and father of three. He has been under investigation by anti-graft prosecutors for allegedly taking bribes from a local Liberal leader.