Former Romanian President Traian Basescu, who this year was elected a member of the European Parliament, has collaborated with the Ceusescu-era secret police, the Securitate, the Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled on Friday. He said he would challenge the ruling.

HotNews.roFoto: Hotnews

The case was opened after the National Council for the Study of Securitate Archives (CNSAS) requested the court to establish if Traian Basescu has collaborated with the Securitate or not.

The Securitate was the dreaded intelligence service and secret police during the Communist regime that fell in 1989.

Traian Basescu, who ruled Romania between 2004 and 2014, has long been accused of working with or for the Securitate as he has worked as a ship captain during Communist time, but has consistently rejected the accusations.

At the latest court hearing, he also denied being a collaborator and said he did not know a conspirational name had been allocated for him. He said he did not know that military counter-intelligence was representing the Securitate.

Upon learing the Court of Appeal decision, he said he would challenge the ruling.