Romanian MPs urged to discuss prosecution of ex-ministers in Microsoft investigation

Romanian Senate president Calin Popescu Tariceanu announced the Permanent Bureau asked the Juridical Commission that within 15 days it should present a report regarding the request of the National Anti-corruption Direction to confirm the criminal prosecution in the case of senators Ecaterina Andronescu and Serban Mihailescu. The Deputies’ Chamber gave the Juridical Commission 10 days for a similar report regarding the DNA request in the case of deputy and former IT&C minister Valerian Vreme.

The Romanian Minister of Justice Robert Cazanciuc transmitted to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate the DNA reports which require the start of prosecution procedures in the case of former ministers Ecaterina Andronescu, Serban Mihailescu and Valerian Vreme.

The 15 day deadline sparked the discontent of former Minister of Justice Catalin Predoiu, who sent an official statement asking for the speeding up of the investigation.

“I condemn any form of procrastinating the investigation by the parliament. The fact that the Senate president has granted a 15 day term, for approving the prosecution of two senators under the guise of the fact that the Legal Commission of the Senate must study the 13 volumes of the file, shows a hostile opinion towards the justice system,” said the former minister.

“The vote of the Senate must be symbolic and by default in favor of the prosecutors’ request as a clear sign of the political will to uncover the truth as quickly as possible. On the contrary, the demand of the Senate president to analyze the content of the file shows a censorship mentality of the prosecutors actions. DNA has a percentage of 90 percent convictions out of the total number of charges over the past years, which represents a proof of the justice and impartiality of investigations, so a very strong additional argument to transform the vote of the Senate in a symbolic means of supporting the efforts of the prosecutors to find out the truth,” said Predoiu in his statement.

On the other hand, Social Democrat senator Mircea Geoana said the two weeks term is “reasonable.” This seems to be a complex file and with many internal and international ramifications- at least from what I read in the media. This is why I believe that taking the time necessary for the Juridic Comission on this file is compulsory,” said Geoana.

DNA announced last week that it would ask the president, the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies and the European Parliament to vet the start of prosecution against nine former ministers in an investigation regarding the lease of Microsoft IT licenses for schools, reports Mediafax newswire.