Serious US findings on corruption in Romania. The explanation of the power and the accusations of the opposition: “They have created a machine that works like oil!”

The explanation of the PNL, the party that has been in power since 2020

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Ionuț Stroe, the spokesperson of the PNL, offered the first reaction from the “social-liberal” Government.

“In recent years, Romania has been an example of good practices for human rights. Regarding justice and the rule of law, we are glad that the European Union, after years of monitoring, has decided that it is appropriate to raise the MCV, recognizing that the institutions act independently in Romania. Even the report you quoted appreciates about human rights that the Government acted credibly to combat the abuses of some officials and that it respected the independence of the judiciary.

All the aspects cited in the report should be taken into account and must be brought to the attention of the authorities in Romania, each case separately, just as every consolidated democratic state must have tools to combat violations or abuses against citizens. Romania, fortunately, is on a good path and this course has been recognized by several international organizations”, he declared for Newspapers.com Ionuț Stroe, PNL spokesperson, former Minister of Youth and Sports.

The “Ciolacu+Ciucă” alliance, similar to the “Dragnea + Tăriceanu period”, by USR

Deputy Iulian Bulai, from USR, also offered his point of view on this topic.

“It is very accurate information, without any trace of exaggeration. It is a regression in all chapters. Emilia Șercan was subjected to a campaign of public humiliation through blackmail, through third parties. The situation of abusive use towards the vulnerable existed, and here we see the case of the “horror asylums”, in Bucharest, Ilfov and Mureș. These are concerns that have a real basis in Romania. There are many cases of doctors caught in the act, but also politicians caught for taking bribes, in the most explicit form, with cash.

I say that it goes back to a period even older than the Dragnea period, that of Mrs. Rodica Stănoiu, from the Năstase period, and here I am referring to the law that regulated the relationship between the press and the secret services, with a legislative project made public a few years ago , regarding the interference of the secret services in the editorial freedom of journalists. There is a decline in the quality of democracy and a lack of state commitment to respect human rights.

Also, in January, at the level of the Council of Europe, reference was made to the lack of implementation of ECHR judgments in the member states. Romania is a top country in the Union regarding the non-implementation of ECHR decisions”, commented the deputy, for Newspapers.com.

Probably the most striking example of the lack of transparency on the part of state institutions is the opacity of the Presidential Administration.

“Regarding the movements of Klaus Iohannis, that information does not represent a vulnerability to state security, so he cannot be protected by the law! But yes, it is a margin of interpretation that, if the person or institution interprets it abusively, they can make false arguments, in not giving the requested information. Those who made the requests and did not receive the information, should go to court to have full access to this information,” commented Bulai.

PNL did not want transparency in government, with USR, Iulian Bulai claims

During the short period in which he was in government, USR ran afoul of PNL’s tactics, which were also pointed out in the American report, claims Bulai.

“Three years have passed, it was a phenomenon that I did not understand then. Claudiu Năsui (former Minister of the Economy from the USR) had a project to make requests transparent under Law 544/2001, with a view to drawing up a public register of requests. Basically, when someone makes a request to an institution, make the answer public. Thus, another person who requests similar or identical information, not to wait so long for an answer and to refer to that answer, a kind of jurisprudence. We (USR) ran into strong opposition from many. We were the only ones to support this level of transparency in requests for public interest information.

There were two arguments… One, which PSD and PNL used, that this digitization process would make the law not functional because they cannot afford the town halls, the UATs to make the public register, because they do not have the infrastructure necessary, but this is a pretext. The second response came from some investigative editors who said that ‘if you do this radical form of transparency, it will affect us, in the course of research processes in certain areas, of ongoing investigative journalism’ – but I found a solution, such answers should be made public, in the register, after three months”, commented the USR official.

Dan Tănasă (AUR): “Let’s wait for the report for 2024, when it will be analyzed including the merger of the elections!”

In the opinion of AUR deputy Dan Tănasă, the State Department’s report for 2024 will reveal even more serious irregularities.

“From the moment I entered the Romanian Parliament, I was the one who, through the means I had at my disposal, exposed the endemic corruption in Romania. The US State Department’s report on the human rights situation in Romania does not say anything new.

Yes, corruption is still a very present phenomenon in Romania, one maintained by PSD and PNL. Yes, the judiciary still has serious problems. Yes, from now on, the press that does not respond to the orders of those in power has a fist in its mouth.

This is the reality we face every day in Romania led by Ciolacu, Ciucă and Iohannis. Things have not changed in the 35 years since the FSN, in its various combinations, has been in power. Only the characters have changed, never the play.

This phenomenon was and remains endemic in Romanian society. For decades, this gangrene has been eating away at public institutions from the inside. The main culprit is the ‘party-state’, PSD – PNL, the successors of the FSN, who put their claws on power at all levels and did not want to leave their seats. They took over local institutions and baronized everything in their path.

We are now talking about a report for the year 2023. I say we should wait for the one for 2024, when the merger of the elections will also be analyzed. Probably the biggest abuse of power that occurred in Europe, but also in the democratic world, took place through this merger. The country’s Constitution, the laws, but also all the international treaties that our country signed were violated. For what purpose? That of keeping the ‘state-party’ PSD-PNL in power,” commented Dan Tănasă, for Ziare.com.

Dan Tănasă (AUR): “Entire counties were transformed into fiefdoms”

Problems at the government level are only the tip of the iceberg, claims the AUR spokesperson. According to him, the counties “were transformed into fiefdoms” by PSD and PNL.

“For the two parties, the administrative reform, cleaning up corruption in Romania, meant installing their people in key positions, from where they could influence decisions and perpetuate their positions of power. This deficient policy led to the failure of the fight against corruption in Romania. And it will perpetuate if they are left in power.

The policy made on the basis of the party card – this is what the so-called reform of the old and new Fesenists consisted of. Ethics, integrity? I am a joke for PSD and PNL. The pesedist-liberal octopus at the head of the state defends its corruptions, covers them, lets them escape from justice.

At the administrative level, they have created a corruption machine that works like a glove. Entire counties were turned into fiefdoms.

As long as the promotion of people who reach state institutions is not based on competence criteria, then reform is impossible. As long as the key institutions of the Romanian state are captured by PSD and PNL, Romania will not get rid of this phenomenon of corruption”, commented Dan Tănasă.

The report of the American State Department for the year 2023, in relation to Romania, can be read in full, HERE.