September 6, 2016 UPDATE
PSD leader heard by prosecutors / Former PM and ex-president of PSD, Victor Ponta, placed under Court supervision
Newsroom, 06.09.2016, 12:15
ELECTIONS – As many as 16 people have announced their intention to run in the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova due on October 30. Opinion polls have shown that no candidate will be able to win most votes in the first round. The favourites to the seat of president are believed to be the head of the pro-Russian socialists, Igor Dodon, a possible candidate for all pro-European factions, the former Education Minister Maia Sandu and the former civil rights militant Andrei Nastase. These will be the first direct presidential elections since 2001 and follow a Constitutional Court ruling in favor of having direct national elections to choose a president rather than a vote in parliament.
INVESTIGATION – The head of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Liviu Dragnea, was heard by the prosecutors of the High Court of Cassation and Justice on Tuesday in a case in which he is investigated for instigation to abuse of office. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) claims in a statement that between 2006 and 2013, Dragnea, who at the time was the head of Teleorman county council and the leader of the local PSD branch, ordered the executive manager of Teleormans general directorate of social assistance and child protection to violate her duties by keeping two employees on the payroll although they did not come to work. In fact, the two employees worked for the PSDs Teleorman branch. In April Dragnea received a two-year suspended prison sentence for his involvement in voter manipulation in a referendum on the impeachment of former President Traian Basescu back in 2012.
CORRUPTION — Romania’s former PM and the ex-president of the Social Democratic Party Victor Ponta was placed under Court supervision for 60 days, in a new corruption investigation. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate accuses him of influence peddling and of being accessory to money laundering. Prosecutors say that while a president of the Social Democratic Party, Victor Ponta reportedly requested and received 220,000 euros from a businessman who wanted to run for an MP seat in Prahova County in 2012. This is the second corruption case involving the former PM, after Rovinari-Turceni, which is currently tried in Court.
APPOINTMENT — The Prime Minister of Romania, Dacian Ciolos, on Tuesday announced that the new Interior Minister will be Dragos Tudorache, currently chief of staff at the Government. Ciolos said Tudorache’s main task is the fair and transparent organisation of the December 11 parliamentary elections. The Prime Minister explained that he appointed a civilian for this position in order to avoid any suspicions regarding the preparations for the ballot. Tudorache takes over the post from outgoing minister Petre Tobă, who is probed into by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate for aiding an offender. According to prosecutors, he denied the declassification of documents needed in an investigation into several ministry officials accused of embezzlement.
ECONOMY — The Romanian economy went up 5.2% in the first half of the year compared to the corresponding period of 2015, and household consumption grew by 10.4%. According to the National Statistics Institute, in the first six months of the year total final consumption accounted for over 80% of the GDP. All economic sectors contributed to the GDP increase, with more substantial influences coming from retail and wholesale, motor repair services, transport and storage, hospitality and restaurants. According to the European Commission’s spring forecast, released in early May, the Romanian economy will likely grow by 4.2% in 2016, whereas most banks and financial institutions operating in Romania estimate a growth rate between 4.4 and 4.8%.
EU FUNDING — The European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu, has called on Bucharest to adopt as soon as possible a master plan on the country’s transport infrastructure, which is a prerequisite for a more efficient spending of EU funds. She appreciated Romania’s progress in terms of spending EU funds in the transportation sector, but added that in spite of these efforts nearly half of the more than 30 major projects financed from the EU budget initiated in the previous financial year will not be completed in time. Corina Creţu explained that these projects were re-scheduled, so as to ensure that nearly 2 billion euros from the 2014-2020 budget would cover their co-funding. Corina Creţu had a meeting in Brussels on Monday with the Romanian Transport Minister, Petru Buşe, who assured her that the Romanian authorities would endorse the Transport Infrastructure Master Plan by the end of the month.
(Translated by Elena Enache)
