Romanian Chamber Of Deputies To Hold Extraordinary Session On Ridzi, Tariceanu Cases

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Chamber Secretary Dumitru Pardau said after the Standing Office meeting that after the two cases are debated in plenary meetings, the Chamber will notify the legal committee should criminal investigations be required for youth and sports minister Monica Iacob Ridzi and former prime minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu.

He added that on July 27, 16.00 local time, there will be the Chamber meeting on the report of the investigation committee regarding the Sterling case, while at 18.00 local time, the Chamber will hold the meeting on the Ridzi case.

"When the two reports are debated in the Chamber, the legal committee will be notified regarding criminal investigations. (…) First we will debate the reports, then we will decide if criminal investigations should be initiated against the two," Dumitru Pardau said.

He added that the Standing Office has decided to complete the two cases by September 1. Asked what would happen if the two committee reports are rejected by the Chamber, Pardau said "procedurally, things are interpretable."

The vote will be open on the committee reports and secret on the commencement of criminal investigations.

The parliament inquiry committee investigating Romania’s youth and sports minister Monica Iacob-Ridzi will recommend the start of prosecution against the minister, while the ruling Democratic Liberal Party will draft a separate stance.

Ridzi is under investigation by anticorruption prosecutors and a parliamentary commission for having allegedly illegally spent public money to organize celebrations marking Youth Day on May 2.

The Romanian democrat liberals recently asked the Parliament to approve the commencement of criminal investigations against the country's former prime minister, liberal Calin Popescu Tariceanu, in the Sterling case, democrat liberal MP Sever Voinescu said.

Voinescu said two topics would be discussed in the Chamber of Deputies Standing Office meeting held Tuesday: the Ridzi Commission and a democrat liberal request for approval of criminal investigations against former Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu, in the Sterling case.

On February 18, Tariceanu said he sued Prime Minister Emil Boc and social democrat Iulian Iancu, for the statements they made in the Sterling case. Tariceanu demanded RON100,000 damages from each. Tariceanu accused Emil Boc, in his lawsuit, of lying and showing ill faith in his statements regarding the Government decision that leased Romanian national resources to the company Sterling Resources.