June 8, 2015 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news

Newsroom, 08.06.2015, 12:15

The prime minister of Romania, Victor Ponta,
was heard on Monday by the Judicial Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, which voted against a request by the National Anti-corruption Directorate to
approve the start of criminal investigations against the prime minister over a
possible conflict of interest during his term in office. The Directorate has
already initiated criminal proceedings into three other offences related to
Ponta’s activity as a lawyer, before taking office. The prime minister is facing
charges of forged documents under private signature, accessory to tax evasion
and money laundering, as part of a case involving the former transport minister
and Social Democratic senator Dan Sova. President Klaus Iohannis and the
opposition called on Ponta to step down, but the latter refused. He told a
meeting with the leaders of the Social Democratic Party that he was willing to
fight to the bitter end if he had their support.

A no-confidence motion initiated by the National
Liberal Party against the government was read on Monday in Parliament ahead of
Friday’s debates and vote. The Liberals want Victor Ponta to resign, accusing
him of deliberately sabotaging the voting process abroad during last year’s
presidential elections and blocking by-elections and local and parliamentary
elections this year. This is the third no-confidence motion against the Ponta
cabinet, with both previous motions being rejected last year by Parliament.

Romania’s Supreme
Defence Council meets on Tuesday. Chaired by president Klaus Iohannis, the
meeting will focus on the country’s national defence strategy, the impact of
and the measures to prevent illegal deforestation and the purchase of a
multirole aircraft for the Romanian army. On Monday, the president invited all
parliamentary parties to attend the talks on the country’s new defence
strategy. The latter highlights the importance of Romania’s defence sector by
providing it with a higher budget. The strategy also entails Romania’s position
with regard to NATO and the European Union.

The Romanian businessmen Ovidiu Tender and Marian Iancu were sentenced
on Monday to 12 years and 7 months and 14 years respectively for charges of
fraud and money laundering. This ruling by the Bucharest Court of Appeal is
final. Ovidiu Tender and Marian Iancu have been on trial since 2006. After one
of the longest trials in Romania, the two were found guilty of the illegal
take-over of a company in the east of the country, causing it to lose almost 44
million euros by means of a complex financial network.

The G7
countries are ready, if necessary, to strengthen sanctions against Russia,
German chancellor Angela Merkel told the final press conference of the G7
summit in Germany. According to Merkel, lifting sanctions depends on compliance
with the Minsk agreements concerning the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. In a
joint declaration, the G7 countries, namely Germany, Canada, the US, France,
Italy, Britain and Japan, called on Russia to cease all cross-border support
for the pro-Russian separatist forces in Ukraine and use its influence to put
an end to hostilities.

The prime minister
of the Republic of Moldova Chiril Gaburici was heard on Monday by the National
Anticorruption Centre in Chisinau in a case concerning the forgery of his
graduation papers. Gaburici said he hailed the prosecutors’ insistence on
shedding light in this case, adding he was willing to cooperate with the
relevant institutions to put an end to all speculations. The scandal
surrounding the Moldovan prime minister stated at the end of March, when a
journalist investigation revealed that his graduation papers were forged. If
the allegations are true, Gaburici faces charges of forgery.

Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday called on all political
parties to act responsibly to maintain the country’s stability. Taking note of
the outcome of Sunday’s legislative elections, he said he was in favour of a
coalition government, as no single party can form a majority on its own. The
Islamic-conservative Justice and Development Party, which has been in power for
the last 13 years, won the latest elections with almost 41% of the votes, but
fell short of absolute majority in Parliament. The social democratic Republican
People’s Party came in second with 25% of the votes followed by the right-wing
National Action Party with over 16% and the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic
Party with 13%.

The
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep retains her no. 3 world ranking, despite
being eliminated from the French Open in the second round. Serena Williams, who
won the tournament, tops the WTA ranking, followed by the Czech player Petra
Kvitova, while Russia’s Maria Sharapova fell to no. 4. Other Romanian players
in the Top 100 include Andreea Mitu, who went up from 100 to 68 after reaching
the fourth round in Paris; Irina Begu, at no. 29, her highest-ranking so far;
Alexandra Dulgheru, at no. 60; and Monica Niculescu at 61.