MEPs in the Chamber of Deputies have approved on Wednesday the DNA request for preventive arrest of the PNL deputy Ioan Oltean, accused of corruption in the file of compensation from ANRP with 186 votes ‘for’, 112 votes ‘against’ and a vote annulled. The official result was to be announced in plenary meeting.
On the other hand, MP Catalin Teodorescu keeps the parliamentary immunity. The ballot regarding MP Catalin Teodorescu was 153 votes ‘for’ and 110 votes ‘against’. The number of votes in favour of allowing the remand requested by the DNA was below the required one.
MEPs have voted by secret ballot on the two applications for preventive arrest of the PNL deputies and Ioan Oltean and Catalin Teodorescu, accused of corruption in the ANRP file.
Ioan Oltean said before the ballot that he has packed a bag and is ready to go into custody, if the deputies will approve the DNA request. He said he cooperated with investigators and that preventive arrest ‘an abuse’ he rejects ‘vehemently’. In turn, Cătălin Teodorescu has pleaded not guilty and called on the MPs to vote against the prosecutors’ request.
Last week, the Chamber of Deputies legal committee gave its green light to the anti-corruption prosecutors’ pre-trial detention request in the case of Liberal deputy Ioan Oltean, prosecuted for influence peddling and complicity to abuse of office in the illegal retrocession file. The request passed by 14 votes to four and three abstentions.
Ioan Oltean said at the end of the hearing that he is innocent and that he filed evidence in this respect. He said he had never been to Chitila or in the church where he had allegedly taken the bribe, while also denying he would know the indicter.
Liberal deputy Cătălin Teodorescu also came for hearing at the legal committee, which passed the DNA’s pre-trial detention request in his case, with 15 votes in favour, three against and three abstentions.
Teodorescu said he is innocent and that he hoped the MPs would not cast a political vote in his case. “I told them I am innocent, for all I’ve done, if that could be called guilt, was to be part of that retrocession committee and approved an evaluation report, which was drafted by an authorized assessor”. Asked if he was not surprised by the extremely high price assessed for the plot in Pitesti, Teodorescu answered these were the real estate market prices at that time, considering the size of the plot of 62,000 square meters.
Last week, the National Anti-corruption Directorate asked the Chamber to Ok the pre-trial detention request in case of Liberal deputies Ioan Oltean and Cătălin Teodorescu in the illegal retrocession file where they are prosecuted for corruption deeds related to illegal compensations worth RON 109m that the National Agency for Property Restitution (ANRP) has granted to businessman Mihai Rotaru.