Romanian Parliament dismisses electoral authority director amid probe into ruling party finances

Romania’s joint chambers of the Parliament dismissed, on Thursday, the director within the electoral authority (AEP) in charge with monitoring the funding of political parties and the financing of electoral campaigns, Toma-Bogdan Costreie.

Opposition parties suspect that the move comes in retaliation and for putting an end to the investigation started by Costreie on the financing of the senior ruling party, the Social Democrat Party (PSD). Stelian Ion, an MP of the opposition Save Romania Union (USR), claimed that the decision was related to the authority's control on how PSD spent the state subsidies it received. The USR MP warned that "this was an abuse," Mediafax reported.

AEP Vice-President Marian Muhulet said on February 26 that the control over how PSD spent the money from subsidies in 2017 was suspended, mentioning an address by the Court of Accounts regarding a future control [at PSD]. The Court of Accounts announced it would join AEP's investigation in August 2019 while the electoral authority said that it insisted for the Court of Accounts to join it starting March this year.

PSD recently wanted to name its treasurer Mircea Draghici, the same man who was in charge of spending the party's money, as head of the electoral authority AEP. However, the party reconsidered its nomination one day later.

(Photo source: Facebook / Parlamentul Romaniei-Camera Deputatilor)