Romanian Senate passes threshold of EUR 50,000 for corruption, prompting protests

Romania’s Senate has passed a bill introducing a threshold of RON 250,000 (EUR 50,000) for abuse of office, similar to that of the controversial Emergency Ordinance 13 of 2017. Back then, the attempt was met with some of the largest post-1989 protests, but the leaders of the governing coalition seem to have backtracked already.

According to the Senate bill, abuse of office is no longer considered a crime unless the damage exceeds RON 250,000, or EUR 50,000. 78 senators voted "for," 25 "against," and ten abstained, according to Biziday.

The Chamber of Deputies is the final chamber that has to adopt the bill before it is passed into law.

According to the amendment that was adopted, the article concerning abuse of office is modified as follows: "The act of a public official who, knowingly, in the exercise of official duties, fails to perform an act provided for by a law, a government ordinance, an emergency government ordinance, or another normative act that, at the time of adoption, had the force of law, or infringes upon a provision contained in such a normative act, causing damage greater than or equal to RON 250,000 or serious injury to the legitimate rights or interests of a natural or legal person, shall be punished by imprisonment from 2 to 7 years and the prohibition of the right to hold a public office.”

Back in 2017, the emergency ordinance (OUG 13) adopted by the Social Democratic Grindeanu government, which brought hundreds of thousands of people to the streets, introduced a threshold of RON 200,000 for abuse of office. At that time, Liviu Dragnea, former president of PSD, was accused of abuse of office, and the estimated damage was around RON 107,000. The OUG 13 was eventually repealed.

A few hundred people protested on Wednesday evening, March 29, in Bucharest's Victoriei Square after the Senate approved the bill. They displayed signs with messages such as "The wolf (PSD) changes its fur (+ PNL + UDMR), but not its nature (OUG 13).” They chanted "Justice, not corruption,” and "PSD, PNL, and UDMR - robbery, theft, and corruption," according to Agerpres.

The Ministry of Justice reacted to the adoption of the bill, saying it supports the lowering of the threshold to RON 9,000 (EUR 1,800), a much lower value than the one adopted by the Senate. Cases of abuse of office involving damages beyond that sum can be punished by law.