Clotilde Armand, sent to court: A file in which Marcel Ciolacu changed 4 prosecutors / Drula: Political harassment

The president of USR, Cătălin Drula, accuses that referral to courtof the USR mayor from Sector 1, Clotilde Armand, is “political harassment”. At the same time, Armand talks about the whole situation and says that it is “an embarrassing case” and the accusations against him are “ridiculous”.

“I am convinced that in court she will have great difficulties to justify her accusations”, Clotilde Armand reacted to HotNews.ro, after her arraignment.

Clotilde Armand also reacted on Facebook, where she said that the accusations against her were “ridiculous”.

“An embarrassing case, opened at the complaint of Dan Tudorache, with ridiculous accusations, in which they invented a damage of 3,000 euros. A file in which Marcel Ciolacu changed 4 prosecutors until he found one from the province that he advanced to investigate me, not to mention the current prime minister attacks the independence of the Judiciary at every public appearance, and Alina Gorghiu became the PSD tool in the demolition of the Judiciary. I couldn’t wait for the whole file to go to court to dismantle this whole thing,” Armand wrote. She said she found out on TV that she was being sued, two hours after she submitted her candidacy for a new mandate at District 1 City Hall.

USR President, Cătălin Drula: “These are fake files, they are political harassment against some people”

Cătălin Drula says that he expects “more fake files” to follow, because the election campaign has started.

“I am not surprised, yesterday Flavia Boghiu, the deputy mayor of USR, was sent to court, these are fake files, they are political harassment against some people for whom there is no real accusation that they would have seized any money, that they would have done something with any of these mobs that are around all the town halls. Four prosecutors were changed in the 1st District until one was found to take this matter to the end, to the trial. We expected it to happen during the election campaign, we expect more to come,” Drula said, according to Agerpres.

He also referred to the Minister of Justice, Alina Gorghiu, who “goes (…) with the heads of Justice on vacation on the beach in Brazil because we ended up with honest magistrates being intimidated and harassed, removed from the judiciary five times, and every time he wins”.

“Several honest judges and prosecutors are marginalized, changed from the prosecutor’s offices, and those who are servile to the current regime are promoted, such as Mr. Voineag from the DNA who closes the files of the current power, such as the BMW-Bode file, such as the file with the uniforms bought at the SRI (…) and such as Mr. Ciucă’s plagiarism which they washed, they packed,” said Drula.

The President of the USR also stated that politicians who are being harassed by “Belarusian institutions” must continue to fight.

“There is only one principle and one unit of measure and one standard about the standard of truth and honor. When a regime becomes a regime of oppression, resistance becomes a duty,” the USR leader said.

The prosecutors’ accusations against Clotilde Armand

The mayor of Sector 1, Clotilde Armand, was sent to court on Thursday, in the case where prosecutors accuse her of appointing herself manager in an anti-corruption project, thus increasing her monthly allowance. The case was opened after the National Integrity Agency complained that she used her position to obtain income through a European project.

• “In the period May 2022 – August 2022, as mayor of Sector 1, being in the exercise of his duties, as a result of the issuance of Disposition no. 715/18.02.2022 by which she was appointed manager of the project “Improving local administrative capacity regarding the development, implementation and promotion of anti-corruption measures” (…) the defendant Armand Clotilde – Marie – Brigitte issued four dispositions that produced material benefits for herself, benefiting from increases in monthly allowances in the total amount of 18,720 lei (gross income), as follows:
• On 06.05.2022 he issued Provision no. 1708/06.05.2022 by which, for the time worked in April 2022 within the project management team MySMIS code 152134, SIPOCA code 1151, he increased his monthly allowance for April 2022 by the amount of 3,744 lei, from which he received the amount of 2,191 lei in the personal account, the difference of 1,533 lei representing taxes and contributions, being withheld and transferred by the employer to the state budget.
• On 07.06.2022 issued Decision no. 2156/07.06.2022 by which, for the time worked in May 2022 within the project management team MySMIS code 152134, SIPOCA code 1151, he increased his monthly allowance for May 2022 by the amount of 5,616 lei, from which he received the amount of 3,285 lei in the personal account, the difference of 2,331 lei representing taxes and contributions, being withheld and transferred by the employer to the state budget.
• On 07.05.2022, he issued Provision no. 2517/05.07.2022 by which, for the time worked in June 2022 within the project management team MySMIS code 152134, SIPOCA code 1151, he increased his monthly allowance for June 2022 by the amount of 3,744 lei, from which he received the amount of 2,191 lei in the personal account, the difference of 1,533 lei representing taxes and contributions, being withheld and transferred by the employer to the state budget.
• On 01.08.2022 he issued Provision no. 2853/01.08.2022 by which, for the time worked in July 2022 within the project management team MySMIS code 152134, SIPOCA code 1151, he increased his monthly allowance for July 2022 by the amount of 5,616 lei, from which he received the amount of 3,285 lei in the personal account, the difference of 2,331 lei representing taxes and contributions, being withheld and transferred by the employer to the state budget”.

Also on Thursday, Clotilde Armand submitted her file for a new mandate

Also on Thursday, when the Prosecutor’s Office announced in a statement that it had sent Clotilde Armand to court, she submitted her candidacy for a new mandate.

The prosecutor’s office then came back with clarifications, saying that, in fact, today the file was registered in court: “Today, the file was registered in court. That is why our communiqué was issued today. The indictment and the visa of the legality of the first prosecutor bear an earlier date. For the smooth running of the criminal process, the extract from the indictment can be sent to you after the file goes through the preliminary chamber”.