Romania Chamber Speaker To Request Udrea Committee Suspension

Anastase said in a press conference that she decided to call a meeting of the Standing Office Wednesday at 14:00 local time.

The official said she will propose the suspension of activity at the Parliament committee investigating the sums spent by the Ministry of Tourism on the promotion of Romania’s image.

Anastase said the reason behind this request is the fact that the Udrea Committee has objectives different than those appointed in the Chamber of Deputies.

The Romanian Democratic Liberal Party officially asks for the parliament committee investigating tourism minister Elena Udrea to be disbanded, Adrian Videanu, vice-president of PDL said Monday, after a party leadership meeting.

Videanu said the democrat liberals demand the disbanding of the investigation committee based on the evidence presented by media, showing that the committee’s initial purpose was changed.

Videanu said the democrat liberals will ask the discipline commission in the Chambers of Deputies to analyze the way the Udrea committee conducted the investigations in Udrea case.

“We believe that the activity of the investigation committee inquiring on tourism minister Elena Udrea is an abuse without precedent that was fortunately debunked by the media (…),” said Videanu.

Videanu added the PDL decision not to participate in the investigations is justified by the way the inquiry commission conducts its investigations.

He said the democrat liberals will ask the state’s authorities, such as the Court of Accounts or the National Authority for Regulating and Monitoring Public Procurement to continue the investigations at the Tourism Ministry.

On Sunday evening, media made public a recording of the discussions in the investigation committee between Ludovic Orban, Aura Vasile, Adriana Saftoiu and, according to a transcript that came with the recording, Lakatos Peter, who denies being involved in the discussion. According to Gandul daily, the fourth person that participated in the discussion was the social democrat Dumitru Chirita.

The members of the inquiry commission resumed the talk on the accusations that appeared in press referring to the tourism minister, set up the inquiry plan and the people that would be inquired. They also discussed about the ways of finding evidence to support the accusations against the minister.

The Parliament investigation committee in Udrea’s case was created in July at the proposition of the liberals and social democrats.