SRI’s wiretap warrants on national security restricted following Constitutional Court’s ruling

Romania’s Constitutional Court has partially admitted on Wednesday a constitutional challenge against law 51/1991 on Romania’s national security, official sources told news agencies.

More precisely, the constitutional judges ruled in a constitutional challenge on the above-mentioned law, namely article 3, letter f, which says that there are threats against Romania’s national security “undermining, sabotage or any other actions that have the goalto remove by force the state democratic institutions or that are seriously affecting the Romanian citizens’ rights and fundamental liberties or that can hurt the country’s defence capacity or other similar interests, as well as actions of annihilation or degradation of the structures needed for the good performance of the social economic life or of the national defence.”

According to sources, the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) used to issue wiretap warrants on national security based on that article. Now, the CCR ruling would restrict the number of these wiretap warrants.

The CCR has ruled in this case following a constitutional challenge filed by a local businessman from Oradea, Beniamin Rus.

Billionaire Rus, founder of Selina-Trameco group, has been prosecuted in November last year for tax evasion in continued form and money laundering. DNA prosecutors suspect that, during May 2008-August 2013, Rus, as owner of Selina Ltd, has repeatedly registered illegal expenses in the company’s accountacy. The damage he caused to the state budget is estimated at almost EUR 1.5 million.