February 28, 2015
A roundup of domestic and international news
Bogdan Matei, 28.02.2015, 13:50
PRESIDENCY – President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday that Romania’s role in the context of the tensions at the EU’s eastern border is to act as a model of stability and wise political thinking. The head of state posted a Facebook comment saying the solutions for peace and prosperity can only be built together by the East and the West. This week Iohannis made a visit to the Republic of Moldova, where he had meetings with members of the pro-Western government, and in March he will travel to Ukraine, the other ex-Soviet republic neighbouring Romania, where authorities support European integration.
JUDICIARY – An efficient mechanism to recover the damages further to final court rulings is a priority for the Romanian Justice Ministry, says minister Robert Cazanciuc. He added that in a month’s time a specialised structure will be set up, with French support, to assist magistrates in seizing assets and selling the proceeds from criminal activities. Last week, at the release of the annual report of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, president Klaus Iohannis said it was unacceptable that the state only recovers 10% of the damages awarded by courts. On the same occasion, the head of the Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, said that final rulings in trials brought by the Directorate in 2014 included the recovery of over 310 million euros in proceeds from crime. This amount, if actually cashed by the state, would cover the salaries of all doctors in the public healthcare system for one year, Ms Kovesi added.
ANTI-CORRUPTION – All the companies having contracts with the Romanian Ministry for Regional Development between 2009 and 2012 paid an illegal commission of 10%, through an entire corruption system coordinated and controlled by former minister Elena Udrea, according to the grounds of the decision to place Udrea under arrest pending trial, made public by the Supreme Court in Bucharest. According to the same document, people close to Elena Udrea, also indicted in this case, said that part of the money went either to her, or to other individuals, and was used to fund the Liberal Democratic Party, in power at that time. Anti-corruption prosecutors have seized some assets belonging to Elena Udrea. An aide to former president Traian Basescu and quite influential during his ten-year term in office, Udrea is one of the highest-level Romanian politicians subject to corruption investigations.
ILLEGAL MIGRANTS – A fishing boat carrying 70 illegal migrants, mostly from Syria and Iraq, was captured Friday night in the Romanian Black Sea waters, by a Coast Guard vessel. The fishing boat was in danger, because of a violent storm. On board were 20 women and 7 children, including a five-month baby. According to the police, the fishing boat came from Turkey and was sailing under Romanian colours to deceive the authorities. They were hoping to get close enough to the shore to allow the fugitives to land. Over the past two years, authorities have reported 10 attempts by compact groups of illegal Middle East migrants to enter Romania on board vessels having departed from Turkish ports.
RUSSIA – The international community condemns the murder of Russian former deputy PM and outspoken opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, on Friday night. The US president Barack Obama called on Moscow to conduct a prompt, impartial and transparent investigation and to bring to justice the perpetrators of what he called “a brutal murder.” In turn, the president of France, François Hollande, harshly condemned the killing of Nemtsov, whom he described as a brave and staunch supporter of democracy. Shot dead near Kremlin, Nemtsov (55) was one of the leaders of the unprecedented movement opposing Vladimir Putin’s presidential election campaign three years ago. He was detained several times during the protests. A symbol of the young post-Soviet reformers of the ‘90s, Nemtsov rose to fame during the presidency of Boris Yeltsin. Fellow opposition politicians say that he had been working on a report on the involvement of Russian troops in the secessionist conflict in Eastern Ukraine, and that he had recently said he feared Putin would have him killed. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Moscow, Kremlin said the killing of Nemtsov could have been a “provocation” aimed at destabilising the country.
SPORTS – Romania’s national rugby team plays today, away from home, against Russia, in the third round of the Rugby Europe Championship. The Romanians have so far defeated Portugal, 37-10, away from home, and Spain, 29-8, at home, and are the leaders of the competition, with 10 points. The European competititon for second and third-tier rugby nations, also dubbed Six Nations B, the Rugby Europe Championship also includes Germany and Georgia, which Romania is to face in March. According to experts, the competition is an excellent training stage for this autumn’s World Cup.
