Justice minister Cătălin Predoiu has told a press conference on Thursday that the compensatory appeal law, adopted by PSD and the former Justice minister Tudorel Toader, that brought out of jail thousands of criminals who relapsed after that, cannot be “repealed overnight” for it would lead to more severe side effect.
Predoiu said that the Justice Ministry is acting on three levels in the compensatory appeal case. First of all, there is the judiciary level in Parliament. “We’ll endorse the proposals to lead to the repeal of this type of compensatory appeal, thus, to replace it with a system that allows this benefit so that it should not jeopardize the public safety”, the minister explained.
The second level is the judiciary-diplomatic one. “We are engaged in talks with ECHR in order to avoid a chain reaction of Romania’s being sued at ECHR over this aspect. The third aspect is technical and the ministry and the working groups are intensely working every day to find the technical formula that should avoid unconstitutional exceptions or discrimination among the subject of this law“, Predoiu further mentioned.
“An overnight repeal of the compensatory appeal law, without preparing all these plans, including discussion with ECHR and actions to expand the penitentiaries’ accommodation capacity, would lead to more severe side effects than the present ones”, he concluded.
Discussions on disbanding the special section for investigating magistrates to start next year
Predoiu made the same allegations about the special section for investigating magistrates, saying it cannot be disbanded overnight.
“The Government cannot assume the abolition overnight, we need a wider debate within the judiciary system and political agreement. Talks about the special section will start in Parliament next year. This year there is no premise to amend this law in parliament”.
In retort, USR MP Stelian Ion said: “We are ahead a desolate landscape. Very little is being repaired of what PSD has destroyed in the judiciary”, he posted on Facebook.
Stelian Ion said that USR is disappointed with the measures announced by minister Predoiu, accusing him of “throwing the responsibility to solve all the judiciary issues that PSD has created to the Parliament”.
USR consider that repealing the compensatory appeal law is an emergency, as over 200,000 inmates have already been released from prisons before serving their entire jail time. Ion accused PNL of “delaying a decision while more and more criminals and rapists are getting out of prison based on this law”.
PM Orban prompts in to appease the spirits
“I saw some stances related to our colleague’s statements and I would like to dispel any suspicion regarding the PNL’s programme on justice and on compensatory appeal. We have as urgent measures to Ok the draft law on repealing the compensatory appeal. That’s our ruling programme, this is what we are going to do,” PM Orban said.
He added they will find the best solution to prompt the repeal of the compensatory appeal “that jeopardized the life, physical integrity of the Romanian citizens”.