Romania's former Tourism Minister Elena Udrea, currently a deputy in the Parliament, was arrested on Tuesday night by the national anti-corruption prosecutors for influence peddling and money laundering.

According to the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), Udrea was filling the position of Minister of Regional Development and Tourism, at the time when the suspected crimes were perpetrated.

The Chamber of Deputies on Monday night approved the DNA's requests to arrest and investigate Udrea.

The DNA last week filed six requests with the Chamber of Deputies, asking for approval to investigate and possibly detain Udrea.

The former minister was charged on counts of influence peddling, money laundering and false declaration of assets in a case dubbed "the Microsoft file" on public purchases of software licenses, as well as on one count of accepting bribery in the "Bute Gala", a boxing event organized by the Tourism Ministry in 2012 when it was headed by Udrea.

However, Udrea claimed she is the target of a denigration action which is aiming at putting her to silence, as she previously accused Romania's intelligence head Florian Coldea of meddling in politics.

Udrea, 41, has been seen as the most powerful woman and one of the most influential politicians of the last decade in the country, in virtue of her relationship with her mentor, former president Traian Basescu.