2009-06-26 15:36:05 -

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - A court on Friday overturned a travel ban that has prevented Romanian nationalist politician Gigi Becali from serving as a newly elected legislator at the European Parliament in Brussels.
The ban had been in place against the flamboyant, religious politician, pending the outcome of a criminal investigation into kidnapping charges against him.
Becali, a well-known public figure in Romania who owns the Steaua football club, was arrested in April and charged with kidnapping three men who had stolen his car. Prosecutors said one of Becali's bodyguards shot one of the car thieves in the leg.
But earlier this month, Becali's far-right Greater Romania Party did well in the European Union election, winning two of Romania's 33 seats in the 736-seat parliament, one of them for Becali.
After spending two weeks in prison on the kidnapping charges, Becali, 51, was released but banned by a Romanian court from traveling outside the country.
On Friday, a higher Romanian court overturned that ban, and its ruling cannot be appealed.
However, the investigation into the kidnapping charges against Becali is continuing.