August 20, 2017 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 20.08.2017, 18:49

ATTACKS IN SPAIN — The third day of mourning was observed in Spain on Sunday following the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, which killed 14 people and wounded over a hundred. Three Romanians are among the wounded. Meanwhile Spanish Prime Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido said the terrorist group that orchestrated the attacks has been completely shut down, although further arrests are still a possibility. The Spanish Police announced it managed to eradicate a well-organized terrorist cell, planning a large-scale attack on Sagrada Familia Cathedral, the number one tourist site in Barcelona. Sagrada Familia on Sunday hosted a mass in Catalan, Spanish, Italian, English and French in memory of the victims of Thursday’s attack. Attending the mass was King Felipe the 6th of Spain. The king brought an homage to the victims in Las Ramblas district on Saturday.

DRAFT LAW — The Government in Bucharest passed a draft law amending criminal legislation, by means of which seizing one’s assets becomes admissible only when the sentence passed is at least four years imprisonment. The draft law transposes a EU directive on asset forfeiture for people convicted for corruption into national law. Under the new law people who are convicted for embezzlement, abuse of office, conflict of interest or obtaining of undue benefits will lose the assets accrued in the five years before the sentence was passed, if these deeds resulted in the obtaining of financial benefits and if the sentence passed is at least four years in prison. Issued by the Ministry of Justice, the draft law will be submitted to Parliament for debate and approval.

IMMIGRANTS — The Romanian Coast Guard has tracked down 25 Syrian immigrants and 3 Bulgarian guides trying to illegally cross from Bulgaria into Romania. The guides were supposed to take the group of immigrants to Bucharest, where they were bound for Germany. The Coast Guard handed the Syrians over to the Bulgarian authorities, under the bilateral protocol the two countries have signed. The vehicles they were found in were seized and an investigation is now underway.

MILITARY EQUIPMENT — The US State Department has finished its assessment of Romania’s request to purchase High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems worth 1,25 billion dollars. The State Department has submitted the bid to the Congress. Romania has request 54 such systems along with related services and equipment. According to a press release, if Congress approves the sale, technical talks will ensue so as to decide on the final specifics of the purchase. Buying the system is part of the 8 key programmes stipulated in the national strategy for modernizing the Romanian Army over the 2017-2026 period. The Romanian state is also due to purchase Patriot missiles worth 4 billion dollars. (Translated by V. Palcu)