Charged with
\nconflict of interests while in office, PM Victor Ponta retained the immunity
\nthat he benefits from, as a Deputy. 231 of his fellow MPs, members of the
\nruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party, the Conservatives, the
\nNational Union for the Progress of Romania and the Reformed Liberal Party,
\nvoted against the request filed by anti-corruption prosecutors, and only 120
\nMPs, from the opposition, voted in favor. The result came as no surprise. Ever
\nsince Friday, when the National Anti-corruption Directorate announced its
\ndecision to prosecute Ponta, members of the Social Democratic Party and of the
\nGovernment have voiced their solidarity with and loyalty for a prime minister
\nthat they see as the victim of political maneuvering. To President Klaus
\nIohannis, on the other hand, the vote in the Chamber of Deputies was a proof of
\nirresponsibility and disregard for citizens. Klaus Iohannis:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
To
\ndestroy institutions and principles in order to rescue one person is, in my
\nopinion, unacceptable in a democracy. What are the common citizens to
\nunderstand now? That anyone who is charged with criminal offences may be
\nprosecuted and tried, but a prime minister cannot, because he is backed by a
\nparliamentary majority? What are we to understand now? That there are two
\nRomanias, one for ordinary people and one for Mr. Ponta?<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Victor Ponta has
\nno respect for the law and for the Romanians, the co-president of the National
\nLiberal Party, Alina Gorghiu, also said. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The head of
\ngovernment however says that the solution to this crisis is for him to present
\nto prosecutors all the data they have requested, and that the Cabinet should be
\nallowed to do its job. Ponta also claims that the strong calls for his
\nresignation coming from President Iohannis are actually fuelled by the head of
\nstate’s plans to bring the Liberals in power. Victor Ponta:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The
\npolitical battle is back on a stage that we all remember, the game of criminal
\ncases. And on Friday it was my turn. Why, when everything goes well, when
\neverybody praises Romania, must we go back several years and rehash the battle
\nof criminal accusations, to have Ponta out and Gorghiu in?<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For the time
\nbeing, the PM cannot be prosecuted for conflict of interests, but prosecutors
\nmay carry on the investigation of criminal offences such as forgery, tax
\nevasion and money laundering, which he presumably committed about ten years
\nago, when he was a lawyer. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The new
\npolitical and judicial scandal in Bucharest has had its echoes in Western
\ncapitals as well. The American Embassy in Bucharest says in a statement that
\naccusations against government officials should be investigated without
\ninterference. The British diplomats in Bucharest also emphasized the need for
\njudicial institutions to be allowed to act with impartiality and full
\nindependence, while their Dutch colleagues warn that the developments in
\nParliament reveal problems related to the attitude regarding justice and
\ncorruption in Romania.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Charged with conflict of interests while in office, PM Victor Ponta retained the immunity that he benefits from, as a Deputy. 231 of his fellow MPs, members of the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party, the Conservatives, the National Union for the Progress of Romania and the Reformed Liberal Party, voted against […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":64313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[36550,29463,29845],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-64312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-immunity","tag-prime-minister-victor-ponta","tag-prosecution"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n