Over 27,000 Romanians sign petition for symbolic RON 1 limit for abuse of office

Over 27,000 Romanians have signed so far an online petition that proposes a RON 1 symbolic limit under which abuse of office is no longer considered a crime. Setting up a limit for abuse of office has become mandatory in Romania following a decision of the country's Constitutional Court. The former Government led by Sorin Grindeanu tried to set a RON 200,000 limit via an Emergency Ordinance adopted in late-January this year, but the document was repealed a few days later after massive street protests. The Ordinance also included other important changes to the Criminal Law. The interim justice minister Tudorel Toader started on Wednesday, June 28, another series of public debates on this topic at the Justice Ministry's headquarters. In this context, the local de-clic community, a civic activism platform, has decided to launch an online petition that asks the Ministry of Justice and the Parliament to set a limit of RON 1. “A too high threshold would be nothing more than an incentive for corruption. RON 1 is the symbolic sum that would make us all equal before the law,” reads the petition’s presentation. De-clic announced that the signatures would be submitted to the Ministry of Justice today, June 28, as public consultations on the issue are organized there. Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com