The lawyer representing MEP Tokes Laszlo announced on Monday that they are suing president Klaus Iohannis and PM Dacian Ciolos for stripping him of the Star of Romania National Order.
“I am sending the complaint at the Bucharest Court of Appeal today. In case we don’t win at the Court of Appeal, we’ll challenge the ruling at the High Court of Cassation and Justice. We don’t sue only the president, but also Romania’s prime minister as counter signing the withdrawal decree. We are asking for the annulment of the presidential decree 290 from March 4th, 2016 through which the Star of Romania order had been withdrawn from Tokes Laszlo,” the Hungarian MEP lawyer, Kinsces Elod told a press conference on Monday.
The lawyer argues that Romania’s President would have broken the Constitution by not respecting the provisions related to the 1989 Revolution’s ideals. Tokes’ defender also says that ‘his client was awarded for his part in triggering the popular rising in Timisoara and not for keeping his mouth shut.’
The lawyer claims that they want the withdrawal order by the Honorary Council for the Star of Romania distinction to be declared void as Tokes’ right to defend himself was broken and because two members of the above-mentioned council, Gabriela Vranceanu Firea and Ecaterina Andronescu were incompatible as they had been both indicters and judges in this case.
President Klaus Iohannis announced on March 3rd that he decided to strip MEP Laszlo Tokes of the “Star of Romania” order, explaining that the person who receives such a distinction must observe the Romanian Constitution. Iohannis argued that his decision comes following the court’s ruling.
Tokes received the decoration in 2009, while on November 20th, 2013, the Council of Honour of the ‘Star of Romania’ National Order has decided by five votes in favour and one abstention to withdraw the distinction granted to Laszlo Tokes.
The main reason for the withdrawal was that on 27th July 2013, Laszlo Tokes asked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that, together with his Government to establish a “system of national cooperation” that would offer “protectorate” status to Transylvania, “like Austria did with South Tyrol.”
On 15th December 2013, Laszlo Tokes handed the ‘Star of Romania in rank of Knight’ medal to the Reformed Church of Timisoara, saying that, should a person want to take back his title, they should go to Timisoara.