THE makers of the Romanian edition of the board game Monopoly may want to consider altering the “Get out of jail free” card to one reading “Wrote a book in jail”. A change in the law in 2013 allows convicts to claim 30 days off their sentences for every work they publish while in prison. This has led Romanian tycoons and politicians imprisoned on corruption charges to indulge in a frenzy of scribbling. It is a system as corrupt as they are.
Among those who have taken advantage of the loophole, or hope to do so, are Adrian Nastase, a former prime minister; Gheorghe Copos, a businessman and former government minister; Gigi Becali, another tycoon-cum-politician; and Ioan Niculae, reputedly the richest person in Romania. Gica Popescu, a former star footballer convicted of money laundering, is on the verge of early release after penning no fewer than four titles. Other hopeful authors include bigwigs in sports management and yet more politicians.
Before 2013 a clause in the law permitted reduced sentences for those who produced works of academic research, but the criteria were narrow enough to prevent abuse. The new law, too, was supposed to be accompanied by…
