Romania's Constitutional Court rejects draft amendment for banning amnesty and pardoning for corruption

Romania’s Constitutional Court rejected on Thursday, July 18, two initiatives for amending the Constitution promoted by the ruling party – PSD and the main opposition parties – PNL and USR, Mediafaxreported.

The Court’s judges unanimously decided that forbidding amnesty and pardoning for corruption crimes, which was included in both projects, exceeds the limits for amending the Constitution.

The ruling coalition PSD-ALDE and the main opposition parties PNL and USR drafted two legislative initiatives for amending the Constitution which they submitted to the Constitutional Court at the beginning of July. Both projects aim to implement the results of the referendum for justice initiated by president Klaus Iohannis, which was validated by the Romanian voters on May 26.

Romanians said at the referendum that they agreed to banning amnesty and pardoning for corruption and that they also agreed to banning the Government from changing sensitive justice legislation by emergency ordinances.

In their draft bill for amending the Constitution, PNL and USR added that people convicted to jail should be banned from being elected in the Parliament, European Parliament and from running for president. A somehow similar provision was included in the draft bill initiated by PSD-ALDE.

However, after the Constitutional Court’s decision on Thursday, both projects will return to the Parliament, where they will be changed. Senate president and ALDE leader Calin Popescu Tariceanu had a harsh reaction after the Court’s decision saying that president Klaus Iohannis should resign immediately, as his initiative was unconstitutional.

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