Ruling party leader speaks about possible EC interference in Romania's justice

Romania’s ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) announced on Monday, March 19, a possible interference by the European Commission in high profile corruption cases in Romania. PSD leader Liviu Dragnea said that prime minister Viorica Dancila will send a letter to the European Commission demanding explanations on this alleged interference in Romania’s justice process. Dragnea made this statement after a document presumably issued by the European Commission during the evaluation of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) was shown by local news station Antena 3. In this document, which appears to be issued in 2012, the EC allegedly requested information on the status of some top-level corruption cases in Romania, including the one targeting former PM Adrian Nastase and others targeting former ministers and business people. According to Dragnea, the request for such information could be considered a brutal interference in the justice act in Romania and that it induced the idea that the defendants needed to be convicted. “We find this unprecedented and very serious, which is why we support the prime minister’s initiative,” Dragnea said in a press briefing. Prime minister Viorica Dancila asked justice minister Tudorel Toader to find if the European Commission also asked for information about other corruption cases in Romania, according to local News.ro. editor@romania-insider.com