Romanian Social Democratic Party To Take Disciplinary Action Against Int Min – Party Leader

Prime Minister Emil Boc on Friday signed the decisions appointing Nicolae Moldovan, Mihai Viorel Fifor, Radu Stancu and Catalin Vrabie state secretaries in the Interior Ministry, at the proposal of the minister. Boc also signed a decision appointing Virgil Ardelean, nicknamed “The Fox” at the headship of the ministry’s General Division for Intelligence and Internal Protection.

 

Interior minister Oprea said Saturday during a videoconference with prefects that Ardelean’s professionalism was never questioned and the man managed the institution for nine years, under different governments.

 

Ardelean resigned his position in July 2006, along with the heads of the Romanian Intelligence Service and the Romanian Foreign Intelligence service, after Syrian businessman Omar Hayssam, awaiting trial at that time under charges of being the mastermind behind the kidnapping of three Romanian journalists in Iraq the year before, fled the country.

 

Social democrat leader Geoana said the interior minister’s proposals for state secretary positions and Ardelean haven’t received green light from the party and, from the point of view of the procedure negotiated by social democrats and democrat liberals when they formed the governing coalition, the minister has breached party discipline and the coalition’s collaboration protocol.

 

“Prime Minister Emil Boc should receive our (the social democrats’ – e.n.) official proposal and sign the appointment based on it,” Geoana said answering a question about the appointment of Ardelean.

 

Geoana added the minister overstepped his attributions from the point of view of his relationship with the Social Democratic Party and the party’s standing office will discuss his case Monday.