Senators with the legal committee on Thursday have given up the amendment on pardon for corruption deeds, five Senators voting for rejection, while four PSD and ALDE senators abstained. The shift of attitude comes one day after the same committee voted in favour of pardoning corruption deeds, triggering street protests on Wednesday.
The news televisions say the resumption of the vote was the idea of the liberals. The chairman of the Senate Legal Commission, Serban Nicolae, has called to vote the liberal amendment, which passed with 5 votes for, none against and 4 abstentions.
Practically, the Opposition benefited from the absence of some ruling coalition senators and of the fact that the four PSD and ALDE members have abstained on this new vote.
The legal committee includes 5 opposition MPs (3 with PNL and one with UDMR and USR) and 6 from the ruling coalition (5 with PSD and one with ALDE). Virtually all senators of the opposition voted in favour, and 4 of the six ruling coalition senators, including the chairman of the Commission, have abstained, ziare.com reports.
The senators with the legal committee have also rejected on Wednesday an amendment filed by PMP Senator Traian Basescu to pardon people convicted for abuse of office.
In the debates PMP Senator Traian Basescu argued that abuse of office has become “an instrument used by prosecutors to get political institutions under control.”
“The issue of abuse of office has been misinterpreted. I am looking at the national Anticorruption Directorate (DNA)’s last report stating that there are 2,150 files opened, apart from what is sent to the court, related to the abuse of office. I do not think there are 50-100 files in all the Member States. We have 2,150 filed undergoing. It is obvious that we have – as proven by the Constitutional Court – that we have a bad application. I support the pardon of the abuse of office that has become a tool for getting the political institutions under control. The political institutions must work for the country and not be under the control of the prosecutors,” Basescu said, protv.ro informs.
State Secretary with the Justice Ministry, Mariana Moţ, stated that the Government does not support the pardon of those sentenced for abuse of office, stating that the Justice Ministry project excludes embezzlement, abuse of office, conflict of interest, disclosure of state secret information and funds embezzlement.
The amendment backed by Traian Basescu regarding the abuse of service has received only five votes from the PSD and ALDE senators and was consequently rejected.
Also, the amendment proposing the pardon of those convicted for conflict of interest was not voted.
Ministry of Justice supports the initial form of the pardon law, Tudorel Toader says
Justice Minister Tudorel Toader has said on Thursday that the Ministry of Justice backs the initial draft law on pardon.
“The Ministry of Justice (…) supports the initial form of the bill,” Tudorel Toader said when arriving at the Ministry of Justice.
“The law on pardon will be complemented by the draft law on the compensatory appeal. We will probably also initiate a bill to propose reducing the limits of conditional release, and the difference, the rest to be served, to be followed by electronic surveillance. Afterwards, with the modernization of the penitentiaries, the construction of the two penitentiaries and the enlargement of some, we try to meet the requirements set by the European Court of Justice by the ECHR pilot decision. The Ministry of Justice therefore supports the initial form of the draft Law,” Justice Minister Tudorel Toader said on Thursday.
PSD leader against the Senate committee’s decision
Social-democrat leader Liviu Dragnea has posted on Facebook a message categorically rejecting the vote registered on Wednesday in the Senate’s legal committee on pardoning corruption deeds.
“I categorically disapprove the vote cast in the Senate’s legal committee, adopting amendments to pardoning the corruption deeds. I’ve always said and I have the same point of view, I do not support the pardon of corruption deeds. I will discuss with the PSD members with the committee so that the final form of the report excludes the amendments,” Dragnea said.
PM Grindeanu also wrote on Facebook that the government supports the pardon law in the initial variant, whereas the amendments on corruption deeds do not have the executive’s support.
Senators of the legal committee have passed an amendment that pardons the persons convicted for corruption, namely for offenses such as bribe taking, bribery or influence peddling, if they pay the prejudice. Senator Traian Basescu, former president of Romania and heavyweight promoter of the fight against corruption, has supported the amendment, pleading for a favourable vote.
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