June 5, 2015
A roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 05.06.2015, 12:00
Romanias President Klaus Iohannis on Friday urged Prime Minister Victor Ponta to resign over corruption allegations including tax evasion and money laundering. Ponta has refused, saying that only Parliament can dismiss him. President Klaus Iohannis said that it was “an impossible situation for Romania for the prime minister to be accused of criminal acts.” Iohannis warned that Romania could be embroiled in a political crisis if he did not resign. Earlier on Friday the National Anti-Corruption Directorate announced that it started criminal proceedings against the leader of the Social Democratic Party, Prime Minister Victor Ponta for having forged documents, for accessory to aggravated tax evasion and money laundering in a corruption case involving the energy companies Turceni and Rovinari. The allegations relate to his work as a lawyer from 2007 to 2008 when he was also a lawmaker for the Social Democratic Party. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate also decided to continue Ponta’s prosecution for conflict of interests while a prime minister. The Directorate has initiated the procedure of asking the Chamber of Deputies to green light Ponta’s prosecution. We remind you that, in the case regarding the Rovinari and Turceni energy companies, the former transport minister in the Ponta cabinet, Dan Sova, has been prosecuted for abuse of power. He is accused of having cashed in hundreds of thousands of euros to forge agreements that damaged the state with over 16 million euros. The Anti-Corruption Directorate has so far asked the Senate twice to green light Sova’s detainment, but they have refused to allow it.
The National Liberal Party, the main opposition party in Romania, has today submitted to Parliament a censure motion against the Government headed by the Social Democrat PM Victor Ponta, on the issue of postal voting. The Liberals are accusing Ponta of having violated, at last year’s election, the right to vote of the Romanians outside the country borders and of blocking the staging of partial elections in the country, in umerous counties, towns and villages, which have been left without the administrative leadership elected in 2012, at the local elections.
The European Commission First Vice President, Frans Timmermans, is today meeting in Bucharest with President Klaus Iohannis, the Justice Minister Robert Cazanciuc and with members of the joint committees for European affairs. This is the second day of Timmermns’ visit to Romania. He will discuss, with the Romanian officals, about the state of law, reforming the justice system, the undamental rights and the fight against corruption. The European Commission First Vice President will also meet with representatives of the judiciary, to talks about the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification. He issue was also discussed yesterday in Giurgiu, southern Romania, at a forum on the functioning of the European institutions, where Timmermans met with PM Victor Ponta and other Romanian officials. The European offcial has said about the the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification for Romania and Bulgaria that it will be maintained for as long as necessary.
The IMF has conceded to grant the Greek government a reprieve for the payment of the instalment due this month of its huge debt, deferring it to the end of June. Greece was due today to pay back over 300 million dollars — the first instalment of four. The IMF announced it would consolidate the 1.6-million Euro debt due in June, specifying that member states have the possibility of consolidating several instalments into a single one. Greece is negotiating with its creditors, the EU and the IMF, an agreement to release the last batch of international loans, worth 7.2 billion Euro, allowing it to pay its debts, according to France Press. Greek finance minister Alexis Tsipras talked in Brussels with EC President Jean-Claude Junker about this agreement, but the two failed to reach an agreement. In spite of this, Tsipras continues to claim that his country would pay its debts.
The UN Security Council holds today an emergency meeting to discuss Ukraine, as violence has erupted once again in the separatist east. President Poroshenko has said recently that Russia is preparing an intervention in his country. At least 80 people have been killed in the last 24 hours in the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, where clashes escalated between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian insurgents. The US and the EU have denounced the renewed violence, saying that this is so far the worst violation of the February ceasefire signed in Minsk. According to the Kremlin, however, the deterioration of the situation in Donbas is directly related to the upcoming G-7 summit, where the US and EU are expected to coordinate positions on renewing and possibly expanding sanctions against Russia, press agencies inform.
