Romanian PM, Suspended Labor Min Discussed Decision Effects

“We discussed the effects of the president’s decision to suspend me from the position of labor minister, as well as ways to continue the programs initiated by the ministry,” Pacuraru told MEDIAFAX.

Following the president’s decision, Pacuraru has no longer the right to sign official documents as minister, and a new member of the Cabinet must be appointed to coordinate the Labor ministry.

Pacuraru said he tries to resign twice since the beginning of legal proceedings targeting him, but the Prime Minister refused to accept his resignation.

Pacuraru added he was not officially notified of the president’s decision, and learned of his suspension Monday evening from the media.

The presidential staff announced Tuesday morning that Basescu signed the decree suspending Paul Pacuraru from his position of labor minister a day before, given that the anticorruption prosecutors officially charged him with bribery.

As criminal investigations have been initiated against the minister, article 109 of the Constitution grants Romanian head of state Traian Basescu the right to suspend Pacuraru.

Pacuraru was allegedly recorded while asking Gorj county liberal leader Ilie Morega to step in and ask the managers of the Oltenia National Coal Company (SNLO) and those of thermal power producers Turceni and Rovinari to grant contracts to his son’s company, Intratest.

Pacuraru said that, in a conversation with his son, Morega offered to facilitate a contract. The minister’s son, Mihnea Pacuraru, allegedly refused the offer politely, informing Morega that the mentioned contract had already been won through an auction. Pacuraru refused to reveal the value of contracts obtained by his son’s company in Gorj, adding that the only sums collected were for the “schooling of 45 people."

On September 24, 2007 the leadership of Romania’s National Anticorruption Department, or DNA, asked for the presidency’s consent to start the criminal investigation against labor minister Nicolae Paul Anton Pacuraru.

Later, after a Constitutional Court decision, the procedure for the investigation of current and former ministers was amended, namely if the ministers are also members of Parliament, the Parliament needs to approve of the investigation.

Thus, the Senate needed to approve the investigation against Pacuraru. On August 26, the Senate accepted the DNA notice.