Romanian President Traian Basescu Interfered With Justice - Ex PM Nastase

Nastase said he asked the president to publish the transcripts of the meeting that took place in the presidential palace, after the winter report of the European Commission regarding justice in Romania. The meeting was attended by representatives of justice, political power and the Parliament.

 

Asked by journalists to comment on the document briefing the Austrian foreign affairs minister before his visit to Romania, a document reading that Basescu wants “Nastase’s head”, Nastase replied: "Maybe he lacks neurons."

 

He added the information included in the minister’s briefing shows the way foreign nations view justice in Romania, which he dubbed “extremely bad.”

 

Nastase went on saying that, during the meeting, Basescu issued instructions in the presence of the High Court of Justice president, the Constitutional Court president, the justice minister and the representatives of Parliament, to complete the case files held in Parliament.

 

In addition, according to Nastase, Basescu asked that a case file, which had already been analyzed by the Parliament, to be sent back to Parliament, so that it can be voted “adequately”.

 

A briefing file compiled for the Austrian foreign affairs minister before his visit to Romania shows that Basescu has applied great pressure for justice reform and called to him all people in charge on this segment, demanding, among other things, (former prime minister and current graft case defendant) “Nastase’s head”.

 

The document does not specify the source for the information included in the briefing.

 

The chapter including the fight against corruption amply mentions the report of the European Commission, published on February 12.

 

The document contains an evaluation with non-updated elements of the “Nastase case” stating: “one of the most high profile cases – former prime minister Adrian Nastase will probably be sent to justice by the Chamber of Deputies, whose member he is. This would be the third attempt by special anticorruption prosecutors to lift his immunity. The latest attempt failed in August 2008. And to lift his immunity, all is needed now is a simple majority in a plenary meeting."

 

The briefing also contains a section called "On the enactment of necessary laws," where it reads that "President Basescu applied great pressure and called everyone in charge to the Presidential Palace. He demanded a political decision regarding the Codes discussed, the employment of prosecutors and judges in the positions included in the budget, who were vacant, and the head of former prime minister Nastase."

 

Basescu met on February 17, at the presidential palace, with the representatives of institutions relevant in justice, ministers and representatives of Parliament, officially regarding the provisions in the European Commission report published in January and evaluating the status of justice in Romania.