Corruption and anti-corruption
Despite speculations and public pressure on prosecutors, anti-corruption efforts will continue in Romania, says Chief Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi.
Mihai Pelin, 09.04.2015, 14:20
The fight against corruption in Romania continues to compel the attention of both the Bucharest authorities and the international media. Investigations suggest that in 2014 corruption cost the state and private companies around 1 billion euros, which could cover the building of 200 km of motorway in a country with some of the worst infrastructure in Europe, Reuters reports. The Anti-Corruption Directorate will continue its efforts irrespective of public pressure on prosecutors, Anti-Corruption Chief Laura Codruta Kovesi told Radio Romania. Kovesi dismissed speculations that the prosecutors’ activity is influenced by political developments:
“Anti-corruption prosecutors will remain relentless in their efforts as long as we have public servants or high-ranking officials who embezzle money or take bribes to do their jobs. The activity of the Directorate will remain equally intense. We are not investigating people based on their affiliation to a certain political party or to their religious preference, but only based on their public office”.
Laura Codruta Kovesi explained that over 7,000 corruption cases are currently being investigated and has warned that the activity of the Directorate could reach a deadlock unless the state makes available the 50 new prosecutor jobs she requested. Kovesi went on to say that over the next period the Directorate would focus on cases where the court ordered precautionary measures against the culprits.
Some cases have led to important revelations. One such example is that of Elena Udrea, a former Minister of Development, who is now being investigated in a new case for money laundering. Adding to this are previous allegations of abuse of office, influence peddling and bribe taking. In addition, the Anti-Corruption Directorate has extended the pre-emptive arrest warrant issued for Marian Vanghelie, the suspended Mayor of Bucharest District 5 City Hall, for another 30 days. Vanghelie is being investigated for abuse of office, bribe taking and money laundering.
In the headline-grabbing case of the Social-Democrat Senator Dan Sova, accused of accessory to abuse of office, the Constitutional Court has forced the Senate to give a written statement whereby it acknowledges that it rejected the Directorate’s request to place Sova under pre-emptive arrest. The Senate’s statement is to be published in the Official Gazette before anyone can challenge it, Court judges say. The Directorate had called on the Senate to greenlight the pre-emptive arrest of Dan Sova. Although most MPs voted in favour, Senate dismissed the request for lack of quorum. Under the piling public pressure, MPs subsequently voted to change their statute, to the effect that the prosecution, detention or pre-trial arrest of a Deputy or Senator may be approved on the vote of the majority of MPs attending the meeting in which the prosecutor’s request is being discussed.
