ROMANIA: Ex-Minister Opened Government for Arab Mafia

A high-profile member of the Social-Democratic PSD party has introduced the Arab Mafia into government affairs, according to a former head of the Romanian police. General (r.) Ion Pitulescu says Viorel Hrebenciuc, once the secretary general of the Vacaroiu Government, mediated links between the PSD and well-known Arab men in Romania more than a decade ago.

The general, who led the Romanian police in 1995-1997, says the first Arab to reach an influential position in Romania was Kemal Kader, a crony of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Kader had access to secret documents in Bucharest and lobbied for strengthened links between the PSD and other Arab officials, Pitulescu says.