Adrian Severin

{{short description|Romanian politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Adrian Severin

| image = Adrian Severin.jpg

| order =

| title = Minister of Foreign Affairs

| term_start = 12 December 1996

| term_end = 29 December 1997

| predecessor = Teodor Meleșcanu

| successor = Andrei Pleșu

| president = Emil Constantinescu

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1954|03|28|df=y}}

| birth_place = Bucharest, Romania

| spouse =

| branch =

| party = National Salvation Front
Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party

| serviceyears =

| rank =

| battles =

| caption = Severin in 2008

}}

Adrian Severin (born 28 March 1954) is a Romanian politician and former Member of the European Parliament.

Adrian Severin started his political career under the Communist rule, as Instructor (lector){{cite web|url=http://www.clubromania2020.ro/2011/03/politica-lui-adrian-severin/ |title=Politica lui Adrian Severin |access-date=25 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305051028/http://www.clubromania2020.ro/2011/03/politica-lui-adrian-severin/ |archive-date=5 March 2012}} at Ștefan Gheorghiu Academy,{{Cite web |url=http://www.revista22.ro/adrian-severin-groaznica-ciocnire-dintre-minte-si-simtire-1961.html |title=Adrian Severin: Groaznica ciocnire dintre minte și simțire |access-date=25 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917111629/http://www.revista22.ro/adrian-severin-groaznica-ciocnire-dintre-minte-si-simtire-1961.html |archive-date=17 September 2011 |url-status=dead }} the university for Romanian Communist cadres. After the regime change, he became a member of the National Salvation Front and the Democratic Party (which he left in April 1999). Severin was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania between 12 December 1996 and 29 December 1997 as part of the Victor Ciorbea cabinet. He sat in the Chamber of Deputies in June–July 1990 before resigning, and again was a member of that body from 1992 until December 2007, when he resigned.

He is a member of the Social Democratic Party, part of the Group of the Party of European Socialists, and became an MEP on 1 January 2007 with the accession of Romania to the European Union. Previously, Severin served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Human rights in Belarus from 2005 to 2006. He was member of PACE from 1993 till 1997 and from 2003 till 2007.{{cite web|url=http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/AssemblyList/AL_MemberDetails.asp?MemberID%3D3323 |title=Mr Adrian Severin |access-date=7 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214081923/http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/AssemblyList/AL_MemberDetails.asp?MemberID=3323 |archive-date=14 February 2009 }}

In 2011, the European Parliament opened a formal investigation into alleged corruption by Severin and two other MEPs, based on an investigation conducted by journalists of the Sunday Times weekly (part of The Times of London).{{Cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110320/wl_afp/euparliamentcorruptionbritainaustriaromaniaslovenia|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110324164858/http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110320/wl_afp/euparliamentcorruptionbritainaustriaromaniaslovenia|url-status=dead|title=EU parliament probes MEP corruption claims|archive-date=24 March 2011}} The Romanian politician insisted he had done nothing that was "illegal or against any normal behavior". Severin was accused of accepting bribe in exchange for initiating some law amendment, and was recorded on video by the journalists when requesting and accepting the bribe.{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20110320-eu-parliament-probes-mep-corruption-claims |title=Archived copyEU parliament probes MEP corruption claims |access-date=20 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323122107/http://www.france24.com/en/20110320-eu-parliament-probes-mep-corruption-claims |archive-date=23 March 2011 }} Subsequently, he was called by the Leader of the SD Group in the European Parliament to resign. As he refused, he was suspended from his position as Deputy-Leader of the SD Group and had to leave this Parliamentary Group.

He was indicted by Romania's anti-corruption agency in September 2013 and in February 2016, a court sentenced him to three and a half years in prison, although he could still appeal the judgement.{{cite news|title=Former Romanian MEP Adrian Severin sentenced to jail for corruption|url=http://www.romania-insider.com/former-romanian-mep-adrian-severin-sentenced-to-jail-for-corruption/165654/|newspaper=Romania-Insider|date=10 March 2014|access-date=24 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225085903/http://www.romania-insider.com/former-romanian-mep-adrian-severin-sentenced-to-jail-for-corruption/165654/|archive-date=25 February 2016|url-status=dead}} Eventually he served 15 months in jail.{{cite news|url=https://www.romaniajournal.ro/amp/society-people/former-mep-adrian-severin-released-on-probation-the-ruling-is-final/|title=Former MEP Adrian Severin, released on probation|date=28 February 2018|access-date=27 November 2023|language=en}}

Although he was sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment for corruption, Severin ran at the 2016 local elections for the office of Mayor of Bucharest on a Social Justice Party (whose chairman is Marian Vanghelie){{cite news|url=http://www.mediafax.ro/politic/patru-parlamentari-au-intrat-in-partidul-condus-de-marian-vanghelie-pds-15245813|title=Patru parlamentari au intrat în partidul condus de Marian Vanghelie, PDS|date=13 April 2016|access-date=23 June 2016|language=ro}} ticket.{{cite news|url=http://www.digi24.ro/Stiri/Digi24/Actualitate/Alegeri+locale+2016/Reactia+lui+Adrian+Severin+intrebat+despre+avere+Uauu|title=Adrian Severin, întrebat despre avere: Sunt la procese de partaj persoane care nu pot explica zeci de milioane de euro|publisher=Digi24|date=15 May 2016|access-date=23 June 2016|language=ro}} He received 8,234 votes (1.43%).{{cite web|url=http://www.2016bec.ro/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SIAL2016_PG_vve_part.xlsx|title=Voturi obținute de competitori la PG de competitori pe sectoare|publisher=Central Electoral Committee|access-date=23 June 2016|language=ro|archive-date=11 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011005558/http://www.2016bec.ro/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SIAL2016_PG_vve_part.xlsx|url-status=dead}}