Controversial decisions of Romanian MPs

Romanian MPs have recently endorsed a controversial bill that decriminalizes the conflict of interests.

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Roxana Vasile, 23.06.2016, 13:36

The Bucharest Parliament ended its plenary session with the endorsement of a highly questionable decision. Romanians have got used to seeing the politicians to whom they once gave their votes abusing their public positions and granting themselves privileges that caused public outrage. Parliament members have gone so far as to pass laws that would protect them from answering to justice in case of criminal investigations. Such an outrageous decision was taken on Wednesday.

Given the nearing parliamentary elections this autumn, Romanian MPs have taken some precautionary measures in case they would no longer win a seat in the future legislative body, in which case they would also lose their immunity. So they endorsed, with 306 votes in favor and one abstention a bill according to which MPs who had hired their relatives at their parliamentary cabinets before August 21, 2013, can no longer be accused of conflict of interests.

“I regret this vote that decriminalizes conflict of interests for MPs”, Justice Minister Raluca Pruna wrote on her Facebook page. “I have been recently dared to say what I understand through ‘restoration’. Exactly that. Better said, to paraphrase, I understand parliamentary tyranny,” Minister Pruna also said. According to the Justice Minister, the bill recently endorsed by MPs was not discussed in any way before its adoption by Parliament, and the Government’s representative was not invited to speak.

Law experts say that by decriminalizing conflict of interests, the MPs have created themselves a legal way of getting off unpunished. Moreover, they can freely hire their relatives in the future too. The National Integrity Agency has made some clarifications in this respect. On the one hand, it has warned that Wednesday’s decision violates some of the Criminal Code regulations, which has been punishing conflict of interests ever since 2003.

On the other hand, the vote of the MPs does not have any influence on the cases of conflict of interests that are currently under investigation, with Courts due to give a ruling in 29 such cases. Moreover, between 2011 and 2015 the National Integrity Agency identified 56 cases of conflict of interests among the MPs, 26 of which were identified as crimes. In most cases, the Court ruled in favor of the National Integrity Agency. In 2015 alone 10 MPs received a suspended prison sentence or a fine, for conflict of interests.

Another highly controversial law which is against all principles of a state of law is the one according to which mayors and local county councilors indicted for corruption deeds, and who received suspended prison sentences, can further be maintained in their public position, says President Klaus Iohannis. For this reason he challenged the law at the Constitutional Court, on grounds of hindering the fight against corruption.

(Translated by Elena Enache)