U.S. Dept Of State Human Rights Report – Romanian Govt Ineffective At Enforcing Anticorruption Law

The report mentions Romanian senator Catalin Voicu, Supreme Court justice Florin Costiniu and businessman Marius Locic, all tied up in the same corruption case, noting that the Senate approved the prosecution's request for Voicu's arrest, while the High Council of Magistrates approved the one regarding Costiniu.

However, the document notes that, in December, the Chamber of Deputies rejected the National Anticorruption Department's two requests to investigate former minister Monica Iacob Ridzi. Later, the Chamber also rejected a request to arrest deputy Dan Pasat.

"Authorities' ineffective response to corruption remained a focus of intense public criticism, political debate, and media scrutiny throughout the year. NGOs and the media continued to assert that no major case of high-level corruption had yet resulted in judgments involving prison sentences," says the report.

Still, the document states that "the number of verdicts involving corruption offenses, including sentences to time in prison, increased significantly during the year," and mentions the sentencing of a senator, five mayors, one deputy mayor, a chief prosecutor and 22 police officers, all in the same year.

The report also notes the cooperation between the National Anticorruption Department (DNA) and the Interior Ministry's General Anticorruption Department (DGA), as well as the antifraud units in the other ministries, which led to the prosecution of two high-ranking officers in the Ministry of National Defense and three other people charged with abuse of office, bribery and influence peddling.

On the other hand, "[l]ittle progress was made in 30 cases filed by the DNA in earlier years against former government ministers, deputy ministers, and members of the parliament," says the report, blaming the lack of progress on legislative decisions or claims of unconstitutionality.

The Department of State notes Romanian police corruption, which "contributed to citizens' lack of respect for the police and led to a corresponding disregard for police authority."

"Low salaries and the absence of incentives and bonuses led to personnel shortages and contributed to the susceptibility of individual law enforcement officials to bribery," says the report.

It also mentions the National Integrity Agency, which in 2010 was on a break for a few months, because of a Constitutional Court ruling. The Agency's governing law was later amended, retaining the requirement on public officials to submit public wealth statements, but hindering its ability to seize assets suspected of having been acquired illicitly.

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