Pubdate: Fri, 08 May 1998 Source: Seattle-Times (WA) Contact: http://seattletimes.com/ Author: Alison Mutler, The Associated Press DAMAGE CONTROL, ROMANIAN STYLE, IN TALE OF SMUGGLED CIGARETTES BUCHAREST, Romania - She lit up a strong cigarette, tugged her royal-blue skirt over a knee and reclined in the armchair normally reserved for Romania's head of state in his 17th-century presidential palace. "I am most puzzled and concerned that this smuggling scandal is being used against the president," said Zoe Petre, eyeing a room full of journalists feasting on a scandal they suspect goes straight to President Emil Constantinescu. Constantinescu won election in November 1996 promising to rid Romania of one of its most endemic habits - corruption. His periodic anti-corruption drives have amounted to little. Now, the mysterious, dead-of-night arrival of 3,000 crates of cigarettes at Bucharest's military airport April 17, Orthodox Good Friday, threatens to turn the corruption spotlight on Constantinescu himself. Romania's often-lurid media have had a field day, accusing Constantinescu of turning a blind eye to official smuggling, and his close advisers of personal involvement. So Petre, a former historian and now one of Romania's most influential people since becoming Constantinescu's aide, summoned reporters for a try at damage control. It was tough. The cigarettes arrived on an Air Sofia plane from Greece. The landing was not logged, much less the cargo. The $1 million or so in cigarettes were shipped to a warehouse in a lakeside village just west of Bucharest. Word was leaked via fax to a newspaper widely rumored to have good links to intelligence officers. The fax told of the smuggling and indicated top officials were involved. In the time it takes to inhale, heads rolled. A city official fled - only to be dramatically captured and hauled back to Bucharest via helicopter. The head of state security services resigned. Then, newspapers started insinuating that Constantinescu, a quiet former geology professor, was involved. The chief evidence offered was that Constaniscu, as president, is responsible for the state security services, and that he initially tried to minimize the case - calling it a set-up, not smuggling. The president's advisers, including Petre, deny he was involved. But for Romanians, those mere hints were enough to confirm their long-held belief that corruption flourishes - and always has. - ---