Chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Ludovic Orban has announced on Monday that the draft law amending the Constitution would go on in Parliament without the provisions the Constitutional Court has declared unconstitutional. Orban said his party would draft a bill to amend the criminal laws to ban amnesty and pardon for actions of corruption.
“We analysed the situation prompted by the CCR’s curious ruling, which hasn’t accepted the decision taken by the citizens within the referendum of May 26 and argued that amnesty and pardon should not be comprised within the Constitution revision draft. We are waiting for the Court’s reasoning. Meanwhile the draft bill to revise the Constitution would go on in parliament without the articles under review, and after the CCR’s reasoning we will draft another bill to amend the criminal code in order to include the results of the referendum in the criminal legislation,” said Orban.
The Constitutional Court has rejected last Thursday both legislative initiatives to review the Constitution, filed by the Opposition (PNL-USR) and by the PSD-ALDE ruling coalition, arguing that banning amnesty and pardon for corruption deeds are exceeding the limitations of Constitution revision. CCR also claimed that only Romania’s President and the Parliament are entitled to decide on the opportunity of the individual or collective amnesty and pardon and that “no general interdiction to grant pardon for certain offenses can be imposed”.
Citizens were called for the referendum on May 26 to say “yes” or “no” to two questions regarding justice affairs, including corruption-related crimes.