Minister resigns over corruption allegations

The target of a criminal investigation, Romanias finance minister Darius Valcov resigned on Sunday.

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Ştefan Stoica, 16.03.2015, 12:48

The cabinet led by Victor Ponta, politically fragile after the latter lost the presidential race in November, has received a new painful blow. Its finance minister, Darius Valcov, resigned on Sunday, after the National Anticorruption Directorate started an investigation into alleged acts of corruption committed by Valcov in 2009, while he was a mayor of the small southern town of Slatina. Valcov is suspected of receiving considerable bribe from a businessman in exchange for facilitating the awarding of certain contracts. Prime minister Victor Ponta says Valcov resigned before president Klaus Iohannis publicly asked him to step down so as not to affect the credibility of the cabinet. Prime minister Victor Ponta:

“Mr Valcov resigned on Sunday at noon. He came to my office and tendered his resignation. I told him I would accept it after he finished the text of the Fiscal Code and the Fiscal Procedure Code, when I would appoint someone to replace him as finance minister. I can’t say I have the name of his replacement yet, because it is a much too important position to find someone right away, but I will make a decision within the next few days. I have also informed president Iohannis of my intention.”

Whether Darius Valcov resigned before or after the president’s public intervention, his resignation will take effect in a few days’ time, once the Fiscal Code bill is ready. The bill has, in fact, been well received by the business community and was meant to score good points for the prime minister in his competition with the Liberals in opposition. The latter are trying to shake the parliamentary majority formed around the Social Democratic Party, so they stand to gain from this latest development.

The daily Adevarul notes that no less than 13 ministers from different governments led by Victor Ponta in the last three years have had problems with the law. One example is the Social Democrat senator Dan Sova, a former cabinet member responsible for large-scale infrastructure projects, who is accused of complicity in abuse of power.

Victor Ponta did, however, receive one good piece of news: the arrest and prosecution of Marian Vanghelie, one of his most vocal critics inside the party. Vanghelie is being investigated for awarding preferential contracts as mayor of Bucharest’s Sector 5 and pocketing 20% of their value. Before he became the target of criminal inquiries, he was planning to create a new left-wing party.