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Romania PM wants new vote on MPs' immunity from graft charges

12 December 2013, 20:33 CET
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Romania PM wants new vote on MPs' immunity from graft charges

Victor Ponta - Photo EC

(BUCHAREST) - Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta Thursday called for a new vote on snap amendments granting lawmakers immunity from graft charges, after the United States and the European Union slammed the move.

Ponta also said another controversial draft law that would pardon a number of politicians convicted of corruption should be submitted to the European Commision before being put to vote.

"These two bills should be first discussed with the Justice Ministry and the prosecutor's office and submitted to the European Commission in order to make sure they don't violate any of our international commitments," Ponta told journalists.

Romania's lower-house Chamber of Deputies, where Ponta's centre-left coalition holds a two-third majority, on Tuesday adopted amendments exempting MPs and the president from corruption charges while in office.

The Commission, which keeps a close watch on the EU member's drive to rein in corruption, immediately reacted, stressing that "high public officials... should be covered by corruption and conflict of interest rules."

The US embassy said the proposed changes were "a step away from transparency and rule-of-law", while the Netherlands, Germany and France voiced their "concern" over the vote.

The amendments were introduced after a secret meeting of the judiciary committee, without any consultation with the justice ministry, while Ponta was in South Africa to attend Nelson Mandela's funeral.

The move sparked outrage in Romania with the media, rights groups, prosecutors and judges declaring it was a "dark day" for democracy.

Several ministers and a former prime minister have been sent to prison on corruption charges in the past two years -- unprecedented in Romania since the fall of communism in 1989 -- and experts say politicians have started to worry about this new-found efficiency.

Rival centre-right President Traian Basescu has vowed not to sign the bill changing the penal code into law and send it back to parliament.


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