Newsflash 12.07.2013
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Roxana Vasile, 12.07.2013, 14:40
The Romanian PM Victor Ponta on Friday took over, as interim, the Transport Ministry, after the holder of that office, Relu Fenechiu, was sentenced to 5 years in prison. He was found guilty on account of aggravated influence peddling. The sentence given by the High Court of Cassation and Justice is not final. Details of the case, dubbed by the media The Transformer, showed that between 2002-2005 Fenechiu sold old transformers and switchers at prices normally charged for new such parts to a company where the state was a shareholder. The damage is estimated at some 1.7 million Euros. Relu Fenechiu is the first minister in office who gets a conviction after the fall of communism in 1989. The European Commission has repeatedly stressed in its reporst on the state of the Romanian judiciary the lack of convictions in cases of high-level corruption.
On Friday in Soul, the Romanian Foreign Minister, Titus Corlatean and his South-Korean counterpart Yung Byung-se agreed on a fresh bilateral student exchange agreement. The two officials also discussed means of rendering the visa grating system for students and business people more efficient and identified cooperation opportunities in fields such as IT, tourism and agriculture. Previously, Titus Corlatean attended the inauguration of a Romanian honorary consulate.
France and Romania have many common interests in the EU, said on Friday Romanian PM Victor Ponta, on France’s National Day. Together with his French counterpart Jean Marc Ayrault he attended the reception given by the French Embassy in Bucharest. During the meetings he had in Bucharest, Ayrault appreciated the good relations between France and Romania and reasserted France’s support to Romania’s Schengen accession.
The managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde is expected to commence a visit to Romania early next week. The IMF official’s agenda is to include talks with authorities with representatives of the private sector, civil society, and the academic world on the country’s economic prospects. Shortly after Mrs. Lagarde’s visit, an IMF mission is due to come to Bucharest on July the 17th for talks with the Romanian authorities over a fresh loan agreement. Recently Romania has successfully completed its second precautionary agreement with the IMF worth 3.5 billion euros.
Romanian wrestler Stefan Gheorghita has walked away with gold after beating Russian Samil Kudiyamagomedov in the freestyle wrestling competition of the summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia. Another gold medal was reaped by Romanian athlete Roxana Barca in the 5,000 m race. In this edition of the aforementioned competition, the Romanian delegation has reaped four bronze medals, three in athletics competitions and one in fencing.
