Criminally prosecuted for corruption, PNL president Prahova submitted his…

The controversial Iulian Dumitrescu, prosecuted by the DNA in a bribery case, submitted his candidacy for a new mandate as president of the Prahova County Council. The announcement was made by the Prahova branch of the National Liberal Party, which Dumitrescu leads as president, although he had announced his resignation when the corruption scandal broke.

Will it also be supported from the “centre”?

Digi24 specifies that the PNL statute allows Dumitrescu to submit his candidacy even without it being approved in advance by the party leadership at the national level.

The other day, when a possible candidacy of the controversial liberal leader from Prahova was discussed, the president of the PNL, Nicolae Ciucă, said that at that time he did not have the official proposal to be discussed in the National Political Bureau. It remains to be seen if the national leadership will support Iulian Dumitrescu, as PNL Prahova obviously does.

Asked to apply…

G4Media.ro notes, moreover, that PNL Prahova itself announced on Wednesday through a press release that Iulian Dumitrescu submitted his candidacy for a new mandate as president of the County Council, as president of the county branch.

According to the information, the mayors and other liberal representatives in the area would have asked Dumitrescu to run. “The decision was taken following discussions with the mayors and other local elected officials who asked Dumitrescu to ensure continuity at the level of the county administration in the context of projects of over three billion euros from European funds that CJ Prahova managed to attract in his mandate”, the PNL Prahova press release states.

Iulian Dumitrescu is quoted in that statement saying that “it was not a simple decision, but, out of respect for the people of Prahov and for the local elected officials, I decided to run for a new mandate and to offer continuity at the level of the County Council”.

“Together with these people – mayors, vice-mayors, local and county councilors -, we managed to do in 3 years in Prahova what was not done in 30 years before. We have contracts with European funds of over three billion euros. We started extremely necessary infrastructure projects: the belts from Comarnic, Azuga – Buşteni, Mizil, Păuleşti, Câmpina. We modernized the County Hospital and today we have the most modern operating theater in Romania. We started works to expand the sewerage and water supply network in 42 localities of Prahova County, worth almost one billion euros. We managed to build the gas network in the towns of Valea Slănicului and the connection to the gas main follows. We equip schools in 59 localities with state-of-the-art digital equipment, furniture, teaching materials and specialized equipment. They are concrete, punctual and measurable things. They are not words, they are not promises, but realities that measure the things I have done for Prahova as president of the County Council”, he said.

“I’m innocent”

In relation to the criminal case against him, Iulian Dumitrescu declared that he has the legal and constitutional right to run for office, collaborates with the criminal investigation institutions, considers himself innocent and expects a quick solution from the judiciary, notes G4Media.ro.

“Regarding the criminal case in which I was involved, I want to tell the citizens clearly: I am innocent, I trust the Justice, I know that the truth will come out and that justice will be done,” he said.

We remind you that Iulian Dumitrescu is being prosecuted under judicial control by the DNA for allegedly receiving a bribe of 16 million lei out of 47 million requested for a contract with public money.

The prosecutors also say that the head CJ Prahova used to buy luxury goods from abroad and spent on tennis lessons or expensive rents.

G4Media.ro reminds that other politicians with legal problems also appear on the PNL lists. The most famous cases are in Iași, where the liberal candidates for the positions of mayor and president of the County Council, Mihai Chirica and Costel Alexe, are sent to court in corruption cases.