Blackmail and bribery: the two pillars of Romanian society

In Bucharest, blackmail and bribery are not signs of a broken system —they are the system.

Now the judiciary is entirely discredited which is a very good thing. It is a masterpiece of theatre. The prosecutors and judges tell you with straight faces that major corruption files just disappear into bottomless drawers. Millions of euros vanish, and the system simply nods and moves on. 

The lawyers are parts of the "collusion" that shapes everything. If a prominent official or an international firm gets caught in a net, a specialized legal architecture steps in to drag the case out until the statute of limitations expires.

And the blackmail? It’s magnificent. They use everything from wiretaps to declassified intelligence dossiers to settle scores. Just look at how they handle elections or public contracts this year; if a candidate or a businessman doesn't fit the script, the hidden tapes emerge, or the constitutional court steps in on "national security" grounds to hit the undo button. 

The country is not run by shadowy forces. It is an example of Brownian motion: a shadow play of influencers, handlers, predatory lawyers the secret services and compromised judges. 

The scramble for the money that the European Union offers is thwarted by the scandals that are uncovered and the endless litigation that drags on intentionally. Up to €4 billion is lost to the country a year by all this while lawyers consultants and the rentier new rich and the rest live very well.