The civic movement ‘Initiativa Romania’ (Romania Initiative) has requested the United States Department of State to suspend the visa and enforce a ban on entering the US territory for Liviu Dragnea.
The request was made on the basis of Decree 7750 of January 12, 2014 issued by the US President and on Regulation 22 CFR 41122.
Decree 7750 reads that “in light of the importance of legitimate and transparent public institutions to world stability, peace, and development, and the serious negative effects that corruption of public institutions has on the United States efforts to promote security and to strengthen democratic institutions and free market systems, and in light of the importance to the United States and the international community of fighting corruption, (…) it is in the interests of the United States to take action to restrict the international travel and to suspend the entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of certain persons who have committed, participated in, or are beneficiaries of corruption in the performance of public functions where that corruption has serious adverse effects on international activity of U.S. businesses, U.S. foreign assistance goals, the security of the United States against transnational crime and terrorism, or the stability of democratic institutions and nations,” ‘Initiativa Romania’ informs in a press release on Tuesday, ziare.com reports.
‘Initiativa Romania’ claims that Liviu Dragnea fully meets the criteria included in Decree 7750, being sentenced, prosecuted and criminally investigated in 4 criminal files (3 in Romania and 1 in Brazil) for criminal offenses on election frauds, frauds on
European public money, money laundering and abuse of office.
The same source reads that Mr. Liviu Dragnea has initiated an offensive in January 2017 against the rule of law and independent justice, which places at risk the stability of Romania and of democratic institutions, as well as the investigation of trans
national crime, mainly the cross-border corruption and terrorism.
‘Initiativa Romania’ claims Dragnea “has become a serious and imminent danger to democracy, rule of law, to the security of Romania and our allies in EU and NATO, and he has to receive a clear signal that Romania should keep a democratic path and that the strategic partnership with the United States is based on joint democratic values and on the fully observance of the rule of law standards. The diversion of the European and Euro-Atlantic path for Romania by a defendant with criminal interests, against the interests of more than 20 million Romanian citizens, must receive an unequivocal and definitive reply, both in Romania and abroad.”