UDMR disagrees with the latest proposals to amend the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code, especially with the “crazy idea” of imposing a threshold of EUR 200,000 for abuse of office, said UDMR Chairman Kelemen Hunor (photo), Deputy Attila Korodi and Senator Barna Tanczos.
The three UDMR politicians have told Maszol.ro that the amendments proposed by the PSD have not yet been presented to the plenum but they do not support the proposals on the basis of the information so far.
At the same time, they find it regrettable that the laws of justice, which have recently been amended by Parliament, are confused with the proposals to amend the two codes.
Kelemen Hunor, however, said that the UDMR has agreed to the amendments to the three laws of justice because, he says, they are not about the fight against corruption, they do not prevent it and do not affect the independence of the judiciary but, on the contrary, it strengthens the independence from politics.
“These laws are addressed to judges and prosecutors. The changes do not affect the state’s criminal policy in any way, but there are some problems coming from the prosecutors and judges,” Hunor Kelemen said.
He explained that the amendments already adopted by Parliament would separate the prosecutors from judges with the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM).
Several MPs filed controversial amendments to the Criminal Code on December 18, with Catalin Radulescu (known as the ‘AKM MP’) as initiator.
The first draft includes, among other things, a EUR 200,000 threshold for abuse of office, home imprisonment for those serving up to three years’ imprisonment and that bribe taking for another person would no longer represent a crime.
The second draft provides for the amendment of Article 175 on the Criminal Code, which means that persons elected in public dignity positions would no longer be civil servants. Thus, the persons holding public functions are excluded from the provisions of the Criminal Code and cannot be investigated.
Obviously, the projects triggered a wave of negative reactions, so some signatories (39 senators and deputies) are now against Catalin Radulescu’s initiative.