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Opposition Challenges Money Laundering Prevention Bill At Constitutional Court

Romanian opposition parties PNL and USR filed with the Constitutional Court on Wednesday a challenge against the recently passed money laundering prevention bills, which they say could block the activity of non-governmental organizations.
Opposition Challenges Money Laundering Prevention Bill At Constitutional Court
Ionut Preda
31 oct. 2018, 18:10, English

In the challenge, the opposition groups state that the bill has multiple unconstitutional provisions, with some of them applying different judicial treatments to categories of people who find themselves in similar situations.

The initiators specifically quote a provision which states that NGOs must register all individuals they assist, which has an exemption for associations of minority citizens which are members of the National Minority Council.

They also state that the bill infringes of the European Union’s regulation on collecting personal data and its free movement.

“It’s an instrument to fight against these associations and foundations. If you impose this to these associations, and PSD is especially targeting associations and foundation who dare criticize it and government policy, under the sanction of millions of RON, obviously you will block their activity,” said USR MP Stelian Ion.

Romania’s Lower Chamber passed the bill on October 24, which aims to implement EU directives on preventing money laundering. The voted was mired in controversy, after the initial failed vote was repeated at the request of the Social Democrat Party, which accused a malfunction of the electronic voting system, with the bill passing on the second try.