Romanian Pres Says Interim Justice Min Is No Good Either

"It is a warning that I issue publicly," Basescu said.

 

He said that he is “displeased” to notice that the government, through the interim justice minister, "seeks grounds to block the president’s request for the Prosecutors’ Office."

 

Basescu said that ordinary Romanian citizens receive different treatment compared to former or current ministers when it comes to justice.

 

According to him, the media is full of reports on elderly people being incarcerated, while ministers cannot even appear before a prosecutor, to explain or to write a statement.

 

"At this time, I believe that the government is making fundamental mistakes as far as credibility goes, and Melescanu’s behavior shows us that the government emergency ordinance amending the law on minister liability was not random, but a process, an agenda for delays in the enforcement of the law. This government proves that it accepts the law when it comes to ordinary Romanians and that it rebuffs the law when it comes to political clientele," Basescu stated.

 

He mentioned that he wants to shed light on the "lies" Melescanu told “these days,” when he said that he wants to spare the head of state a procedure error and this is why he insists on having the case files.

 

"I would like all Romanians to know that the president does not have the case file, which is with the prosecutors, and legally, he does not have access to the file. Law 115, through article 18, when it says that the president sends the case file, refers to the file compiled by the presidency and not by the prosecutors. If, in order to serve his political clientele, minister Melescanu wishes to have the file from the prosecutors, he should ask them for it, and not the presidency," Basescu said.

 

He mentioned, answering a question, that Melescanu “never” sent back, to the presidency, the three elements mentioned in the presidency file – the original memo of the case prosecutor, the original memo of the general prosecutor or the chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Department and the request of the president.

 

"I think that minister Melescanu is nearing the situation where he would be a minister who abuses their office. This is a warning that I issue publicly. The presidency made available all documents in its possession. The fact that he continues to block the initiation of criminal investigation for eight ministers, is nothing but abuse of office," Basescu said, adding that "abuse of office is an observation” that he has already made.