The head of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), George Maior slammed the Romanian Constitutional Court decision to declare as unconstitutional the cyber security law, the law of data storage and the law of pre-paid phone cards, saying the ruling has created problems for his service. In his view, there is a moral responsibility “somewhere in the state” regarding the citizens’ security. “In case of a disaster, I will know whom I am going to point my finger at,” SRI director warned during an interview for a TV station.
“It is my duty to say that someone is playing with very important things, which either he doesn’t understand, or he tackles them in this way, in bad faith,” Maior also told B1TV.
The head of the Romanian Constitutional Court has complained a few days ago that several institutions, including SRI, are making pressures on the institution following its overruling cyber security law as unconstitutional. Moreover, Augustin Zegrean disclosed that one of the Court’s judges told the European Commission’s experts that he is under pressure over this matter.
SRI head argued that the service would badly need improving of the legislation, considering that hundreds of Europeans are leaving to fight for the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. According to Maior, the fighters’ transfer is a high European security matter and Romanian included is subject to terrorism risks. The most recent statistics show that almost 4,000 persons would have left for the Syria’s front taking part in the battles and then returned to Europe, transiting Romania and Bulgaria.
“The most significant issue also related to the terror attacks in Paris is linked to these fighters, European citizens with Islamic origins, who are going on the Syrian front, taking part in the fights out there and then returning to the European states. There are hundreds from France, Germany. Unfortunately, no later than yesterday (Saturday) ten such persons have transited our country and we had to take action together with our colleagues from other services and institutions to seriously monitor the situation,” George Maior unveiled.
SRI director statement comes only three day after British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond stressed the importance of preventing more international Islamic State fighters – often travelling through European transit points such as Bucharest and Sofia – reaching the war zone and said Britain was “working very closely” with the security services concerned.