Rapper Wiz Khalifa, definitively sentenced in Romania to prison with execution. The decision taken by the Constanța Court of Appeal
The Constanța Court of Appeal rejected on Friday the challenge to execution filed by Wiz Khalifa against sentenced to 9 months in prison with execution received last December. It is the third extraordinary way of attack formulated by the American rapper, which the Romanian courts rejected. Real name Thomaz Cameron Jiribr, Wiz Khalifa was convicted after smoking a joint on stage during the last edition of the Beach Please festival.
The judges of the Constanța Court of Appeal rejected as unfounded the challenge to the execution filed by the lawyers on behalf of Wiz Khalifa, the court upholding the sentence of 9 months in prison. The decision is final.
Through the appeal submitted to the Constanța Court of Appeal, Wiz Khalifa asked the judges to declare “the illegality of the execution of the custodial sentence and the annulment of the mandate to execute the prison sentence”, according to the court decision, consulted by HotNews.
The same court rejected on February 26 the first extraordinary way of attack formulated by the American rapper – an annulment appeal – against the execution sentence. The request was considered inadmissible by the court.
Wiz Khalifa made a second extraordinary appeal at the High Court of Cassation and Justice, but without success. On May 7, the supreme court rejected his cassation appeal as unfounded, the execution sentence for possession of drugs for personal consumption being judged correct.
Sentenced to execution, after initially receiving only a fine
The court that decided to sentence Wiz Khalifa to 9 months in prison with execution is the Constanța Court of Appeal. Initially, the seaside court imposed only a criminal fine in the amount of 3,600 lei.
DIICOT contested the lenient sentence, and on appeal the judges of the Court decided to impose a 9-month sentence.
The court explained in the reasoning of the conviction that it could not order the suspension of the sentence because the defendant had not agreed to perform community service if he was found guilty. The agreement is a mandatory condition provided by law in the case of suspension of the sentence.
The Court of Appeal explained in the ruling on the conviction of Wiz Khalifa and why a harsher sentence is required in his case: “This act of consuming such substances in public, by a person who, in the light of his quality as an international artist and who is known to have a major influence on the young people present at that event, represents ostentatious conduct that significantly increases the social danger of the crime.”
Internationally prosecuted
Wiz Khalifa was put under general investigation by the Romanian Police. His name and photo appear on the website of the Romanian Police in the category of wanted persons, as there is a warrant for the execution of the prison sentence in his name for offenses under the narcotics regime.
The incident that led to the conviction of the American star in Romania happened at the last edition of the Beach Please festival, where Wiz Khalifa held a concert. During the show he smoked a joint in front of the audience. When he got off the stage, Khalifa was picked up by the police and taken away for questioning. On him, anti-drug officers found 18 grams of cannabis.
According to the law, in Romania, cultivating, producing, manufacturing, experimenting, extracting, preparing, transforming, buying or possessing dangerous drugs for personal consumption, without the right, is punishable by imprisonment from 3 months to 2 years or a fine.
Following the episode of “Beach, Please!”, Wiz Khalifa posted a message in which he said that he did not want to show any disrespect towards the Romanian authorities with his gesture. He promised to return to perform in our country, but “without a big joint next time”.
