Update: Ruling party chair says no decision taken yet on Pension II Pillar, threatens journalists. PNL accuses Dragnea of lying, USR mentions motion of censure

Chairman of the Social Democrat Party (PSD), Liviu Dragnea has said on Monday that there is no decision taken yet by the Government or the ruling coalition on abolishing the Pension II Pillar. Yet, Dragnea says that a suspension of the private managed mandatory funds might be possible if the ongoing analysis proves the need for such a suspension.

According to the 2018 legislative programme of the Government revealed on Sunday in the mass media, a top legislative priority of the Dancila Cabinet is ”a draft law on regulating the private managed mandatory funds (the so called Pension II Pillar)”, with the note that its contributions will be suspended during July 1-December 31.

„Ruling is bases on a programme. The assumed goals are: the first one is to the conclude the analysis currently conducted by the Labour Ministry on the financial data to be able to present citizens with the financial information on the pension level that every Romanian citizen will have for pillar I and pillar II. The second goal is that the informed Romanian citizen to be able to choose for Pillar I or Pillar II, or both. There is no decision taken in the government, in the party, in the coalition to lead to the abolition of the Pension II Pillar,” Dragnea said.

However, the SocDem chairman hasn’t ruled out the  suspension of the pension contributions if the analysis proves it is needed.

„When the analysis is done and the decision is taken to have a deadline to opt, the payment can be suspended or not, and also after a discussion with the managers of the Pension II Pillar funds so that there is no mess with the calculations,” Dragnea added.

He also reminded about  the criminal code provisions on misinformation and sanctions which are appropriate when the national security is compromised, thus subtly threatening the journalists who published the information on the Pension II Pillar suspension from the ruling programme.

Ex-PM Ponta threatens Gov’t with criminal complaint for „grand theft” on pensions issue

On the other hand, Dragnea’s former party fellow and current foe, ex-PM Victor Ponta has threatened that he would file a criminal complaint if the Executive tried to suspend contributions for the private managed mandatory pensions for the second part of this year.

Ponta posted on his Facebook page that he doesn’t agree with the Government’s move to reach deep inside the tax payers’ pockets, announcing he is ready to file a criminal complaint for grand theft.

„The accumulated at the Pension II Pillar are NOT the state’s money, but it was paid by me (and by all those who were under 35 years old in 2006) and the money belongs to us. If the Government takes it, this is not a political decision and the deed represents a crime, grand theft, and is sanctioned by the Criminal Code!

If the Government steals the money accumulated at Pensions II Pillar I will file a criminal complaint for the sum I have been paying every month for the last 12 years. The complaint will be against all those who will sign an emergency ordinance or a draft law.  I took over the PM position in 2012 when we were in great need for money to pay the salaries and pensions cut by Basescu and to return the loan to IMF, but I have never accepted the idea that we might take over the money from the Pension II Pillar to cover the needs back then (although the idea was advanced to me right by the people who are standing by Liviu Dragnea right now),” Ponta stated.

PNL’s Orban: Dragnea is lying through his teeth

Chairman of the main opposition party, PNL, Ludovic Orban, also had a tough retort against the ruling party’s leaders on the pensions’ topic. Orban stated on Monday that PSD leader is “lying through his teeth” when claiming the Government, the coalition or the party had not talked or will talk about the abolition of the Pension II Pillar or about replacing contributions to this fund.

He also urged Liviu Dragnea to stop the intimidation campaign against public servants, citizens, prosecutors or journalists. “In Romania, we’ve found out to our horror that Dragnea ended up threatening the journalists if they keep releasing information from government sources, saying they risk sanctions,” Orban said.

USR’s Dan Barna mentions censure motion

In his turn, Dan Barna, the leader of the second opposition party in Parliament, USR, announced that a potential nationalization or abolition of the Pension II Pillar might be the ground for filing a motion of censure against Dancila Cabinet in Parliament, adding he would also discuss it with the Liberals.