Radio România Internațional

Tag: High Court of Cassation

  • January 20, 2019

    January 20, 2019

    Berlin — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will participate on Tuesday in Aachen, in western Germany, in the ceremony for the signing of the French-German Cooperation and Integration Treaty upon the invitation of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and of the French President Emmanuel Macron. On this occasion, President Iohannis, in his capacity as president of the country holding the incumbent presidency of the Council of the EU, will deliver a speech. The ceremony will also be attended by the president of the European Council Donald Tusk and the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. The Aachen bilateral treaty is based, from a political and juridical point of view, on the Elysee French-German Treaty of 1963 that set the basis for a historic reconciliation between Germany and France. The Aachen treaty will focus on adjusting the relations between the two states to the challenges of the 21st century, laying emphasis on the cohesion of the two countries’ action at European level.



    Council of the EU — The Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU has finalized the adoption of the first file in the field of economic and financial affairs, namely the regulations on the minimum loss coverage for non-performing exposures, the Romanian Finance Ministry officials announced. Reporting significant progress in the field of financial services is one of Romania’s priorities at the Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting- said the Romanian finance minister Eugen Teodorovici. He met in Strasbourg with the co-rapporteurs on the file regarding the revision of the European financial surveillance system and with the members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Pervenche Beres and Othmar Karas. The Romanian finance minister also talked with Isabelle Thomas, a member in the EP’s Committee on Budgets, about the negotiations on Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027.



    Brussels — On Monday the Romanian FM Teodor Melescanu will participate in the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. On the agenda of the meeting are topical issues such as fighting disinformation, cooperation between the EU and the League of Arab States and the relations between the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). According to a press release of the Romanian Foreign Ministry, during the meeting to be presided by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Minister Melescanu will present the participants the main themes in the focus of Romania’s presidency of the Council of the EU. On Tuesday he will have meetings on the same topic at the EP’s Foreign Affairs and Development Committees.



    High Court — The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest on Monday will hold a new hearing in the trial in which the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and leader of the Social Democratic Party is accused of corruption. He was already sentenced in a court of the first instance to 3 years and 6 months in prison for having instigated to abuse of office. The prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate accused Dragnea that, during his term in office as president of the Teleorman county council he ordered the fictitious hiring of two party members at the Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection. The two were paid from public money although they worked exclusively for the party. In 2016 Dragnea received a definitive two year suspended sentence for attempted electoral fraud.



    Tennis — The Romanian pair Irina Maria Bara/Monica Niculescu was defeated on Sunday by the pair Raquel Atawo (USA)/Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in Melbourne, in the eighth finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, the year’s first grand slam tournament. Also on Sunday, all of Romania’s three representatives were eliminated from the doubles competition of the Australian tournament. Romanians Irina Begu and Horia Tecau were defeated 6-1, 6-3 by American Nicole Melichar and Brazilian Bruno Soares, while Mihaela Buzarnescu and Austrian Oliver Marach had to abandon the match after 25 minutes, at the score of 4-1 for the pair Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)/Jamie Murray (the UK), due to Marach’s leg injury. In the singles, Simona Halep will take on Serena Williams on Monday, in the eighth finals, after she eliminated Venus Williams on Saturday 6-2, 6-3. (translation by L. Simion)

  • September 19, 2018

    September 19, 2018

    EU COUNCIL MEETING – Romanias president Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday and Thursday is attending the informal meeting of the European Council held in Salzburg, Austria. The agenda for talks focuses on migration, internal security and Brexit. According to the presidency, Iohannis will argue in favor of continuing talks over the Dublin Regulation with a view to reaching consensus and strike a balance between the solidarity and responsibility of member states and preserving an asylum seekers ability to opt out of any form of relocation. As regards internal security, the meeting will address three priority topics: the protection of external borders, the EUs internal security and cyber security. As regards Brexit, President Iohannis will reiterate the importance of maintaining a coherent and unitary voice within the European Union in negotiations with Britain so that Brexit should be fair for all sides. According to the President, Romania will insist on protecting the rights and interests of Romanians living in Britain.



    REFERENDUM – The Save Romania Union in opposition has called on the Ombudsman to challenge at the Constitutional Court the Governments emergency decree voted on Wednesday, calling a referendum on redefining the notion of family on October 6 and 7. Save Romania Union claims the Government and the ruling coalition have changed the referendum regulation after the process was initiated, which goes against best practices recommended by the Venice Commission. The Government called a referendum after Parliament recently voted a law to revise the Constitution, which stipulates that the family is the freely consented marriage between a man and a woman and not between spouses as it is at present.



    HEARING – The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest set the first hearing in the case where Social-Democrat leader and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Liviu Dragnea was sentenced to three years and six months imprisonment in the court of first instance for October 8. In June, the High Court of Cassation and Justice handed Dragnea the sentence for instigation to abuse of office. Anticorruption prosecutors say Liviu Dragnea ordered the fictitious employment of two party members at the Social Assistance and Child Protection Directorate. The two were paid with taxpayer money, although they allegedly worked exclusively for the Social-Democratic Party. Liviu Dragnea denied the accusations. In 2016, Dragnea was handed a 2-year suspended prison sentence for attempted election fraud. This summer the High Court cancelled the ruling to suspend the prison sentence. In another development, the Social-Democratic leadership will convene on Friday to discuss discontent expressed by certain party leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development and Public Administration, Paul Stanescu, Senate vice-president Adrian Tutuianu and Bucharest Mayor, Gabriela Firea, who have called for Dragneas resignation.



    AFRICAN SWINE FEVER – The African swine fever compels Bucharest authorities to take active measures to prevent the virus from spreading. In Vaslui County, northeastern Romania, a thousand boars must be put down by the end of February 2019, while in Tulcea County, southeastern Romania, the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve is seeking help to remove the populations of wild boars and jackals from the area. In Gorj County, southwestern Romania, although no virus cases have been signaled, veterinarians are on high alert, all animal trade fairs were closed down and the police are carrying out road traffic checks. Since the first outbreak was identified in Romania in late July, 2017, a total of 900 hotbeds have been confirmed in 13 counties in the northwest and southeast.



    ROAD TRAFFIC – September 19 is the European Day Without a Road Death. On this occasion, the Romanian Police is intervening to sanction drivers exceeding the speed limit or not wearing seatbelts. Romania ranks last at EU level in terms of road traffic safety. Five people are killed every day in road traffic accidents.



    RRI CONTEST – Tuesday Jonas Sell and Sabrina Friesenborg of Dortmund, Germany, ended their trip to Romania, won as part of RRIs prize-winning contest “Alba Iulia, the City of the Great Union. For nine days, the two winners, accompanied by editors of the German Service, visited the main tourist, cultural and religious attractions, as well as nature reserves and caves in the Apuseni Mountains, the city of Alba Iulia and its surroundings. Over April 1 and June 30 Radio Romania International organized a prize-winning contest devoted to the Centennial of the Great Union. Participants were required to provide written answers to 3 questions related to Alba Iulia and Alba Iulia County. Over 268 correct answers were sent in by our listeners.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)


  • June 8, 2018

    June 8, 2018

    Warsaw — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda are today participating in Warsaw in the Bucharest 9 meeting, which includes NATO members from central and Eastern Europe. The participants will tackle ways to consolidate the NATO military presence on the eastern flank of the Alliance, to extend dialogue on security and strengthening cooperation between NATO and the EU, including military mobility. On Thursday, on the first day of his visit to Poland, President Iohannis stated, after talks with his Polish counterpart, that Romania and Poland had a common interest in defending NATO’s eastern flank, given the threats and difficult situation in the region. The two heads of state also talked about the excellent bilateral relations, especially in the economic and military fields.



    High Court – The High Court of Cassation and Justice of Romania might give its verdict today in the case in which the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and leader of the Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea is accused of corruption. Last month, the prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate asked the court for a sentence of 7 years and 5 months in prison for abuse of office and of 2 years and 6 months for intellectual forgery. They accuse Liviu Dragnea that, when he held the position of president of the Teleorman county council, he ordered the fictitious employment of two Social Democratic party members at the Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection. The two were paid from public money although they worked exclusively for the Social Democratic Party. Dragnea claimed he was innocent and denied prosecutors’ accusations. In 2016 Dragnea received a definitive, suspended 2-year prison sentence for attempted electoral fraud.



    Sibiu — Almost 13 million Euros is the budget of this year’s edition of the Sibiu International Theater Festival, which kicks off today. Until June 17 the participants in the festival will be able to see 524 shows. The 25th edition of the Sibiu festival will bring to Sibiu 3,300 artists from 73 countries. This is the first year when the festival has two honorary patrons: the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, a former mayor of Sibiu and Prince Charles, the Heir to the British Crown, who is famous for his passion for the region of Transylvania, in central Romania.



    ASEF — The 38th ASEF Board of Governors’ Meeting continues in Bucharest. ASEF – Asia- Europe Foundation is the only institution within the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) cooperation format and the main platform for the consolidation of inter-human cooperation between Europe and Asia in the fields of culture, education, durable development and good governance. Romania became a member of ASEF and ASEM on January 1, 2007, when it joined the EU. This meeting currently held in Bucharest announces future meetings to be held in Bucharest in the first 6 months of 2019, namely the Forum of Students, the Conference of ASEF rectors and the Meeting of ASEM education ministers. The meetings will unfold under the auspices of the Romanian presidency of the EU.



    G 7 — The German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that she expected controversies at the G7 summit to take place on Friday and Saturday in Canada, given the current context of differences between Washington and its partners, France press reports. We’ll have controversies mainly in relation to international trade, environmental protection and development and foreign polices, Mrs. Merkel warned. According to France press, the biggest differences are related to the Iranian nuclear deal, from which Donald Trump has recently withdrawn the US, and to Washington’s decision to impose heavier taxes on aluminum and steel imports for all G7 members.



    Brussels — At the defense ministers’ meeting of the NATO member states held in Brussels, the Romanian defense minister Mihai Fifor evoked the importance of the full implementation of decisions adopted at NATO level. He referred mainly to the need for a coherent approach, at strategic level, of an advanced presence on the entire eastern flank, including in the Black Sea region, from the perspective of planning, training, drills as well as command. Minister Fifor also reiterated Romania’s commitment to developing military capabilities necessary for NATO’s missions and operations, and underscored the importance of the allied forces’ interoperability. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • February 26, 2018 UPDATE

    February 26, 2018 UPDATE

    ANTICORRUPTION — The head of the National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, on Tuesday is due to appear before the Superior Council of Magistracy, as a first step in the process Justice Minister Tudorel Toader has started with a view to removing Kovesi from office. The Council’s Prosecutors’ Department is expected to rule on the Justice Minister’s request. Under the law, the Superior Council of Magistracy is due to issue an opinion in this matter and refer it to President Klaus Iohannis, who will make a final decision. In another development, large-scale protests were staged in Bucharest and other large cities across the country against the Social-Democratic Party, the main coalition party in Romania, and against Justice Minister Tudorel Toader. The protests started on Thursday evening, in the wake of a report Toader presented to the media, whereby he started proceedings to having Kovesi removed from office. Toader accused Kovesi of overstepping the bounds of her authority, getting personally involved in some of the pending cases and of not investigating certain prosecutors suspected of having abused their position. The Justice Minister also claimed that the National Anticorruption chief defied Parliament’s authority on numerous occasions and challenged rulings of the Constitutional Court. Backed by the Parliament majority held by the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Toader’s report has been harshly criticized by the right-wing opposition.



    FAC – Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu on Monday took part in Brussels in the monthly meeting of the EUs Foreign Affairs Council, where he discussed with his counterparts the situation in the Republic of Moldova, the crisis in Venezuela, and the Middle East peace process. On this occasion Minister Melescanu hailed the progress Moldova has reported, reiterating Romania’s full support for the EU integration of its neighbor state. On the sidelines of the Council meeting, the Romanian Foreign Minister chaired the meeting of the Group for Moldova’s European Action, with Moldovan Foreign Minister Tudor Ulianovschi as special guest. On Tuesday, Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila will travel to Moldova to discuss with her counterpart Pavel Filip the bolstering of cooperation between the two states.



    RULING — The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest Monday ruled against a request from the National Anti-Corruption Directorate to re-open an investigation which may involve Social Democratic Deputy Prime Minister Paul Stanescu. Judicial sources claim that the case started from a memo issued by the Court of Accounts regarding embezzlement involving the county council of Olt county, which Stanescu was head of between 2008 and 2016, with the fraudulently obtained funds allegedly being used to finance a soccer team. The official said he would resign if he is indicted in this case.




    WEATHER — Bucharest and 27 counties, mostly in the east and south of Romania, are under extreme cold weather warning until March 1. In these areas, low temperatures will be around the record lows registered in previous years. Maximums will frequently fluctuate between -12 and -8 degrees Celsius, with minimums of -22 and -12 degrees. Thousands of intervention workers have been mobilized in case of emergencies. Traffic has been cut off by snow on two national motorways in the south, and three Black Sea ports have been shut down by strong wind.



    VISIT — Romanian Defense Minister Mihai Fifor is on a three-day official visit to Israel, invited by his counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman. The main points on the agenda are defense cooperation and the security situation worldwide. This year, Romania and Israel celebrate 70 years of continuous diplomatic relations.



    FLU — The flu has killed 57 people in Romania this season according to the latest toll published by the National Centre for the Supervision and Control of Communicable Diseases. 800 people have the flu virus, mostly in Bucharest and the counties of Constanta, in the south-east, Brasov, in the centre, and Iasi, in the north-east. The authorities advise people to get vaccinated, and the health ministry says around 80,000 vaccine doses are still available. So far 920,000 have received vaccination. The healthcare minister Sorina Pintea says Romania is not faced with a flu epidemic.



    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep is back at the top of the WTA standings, published on Sunday, after five weeks of being second to Danish player Caroline Wozniacki. The latter replaced her after winning the finals in the Australian Open. Halep held the first place in the world between October 2017 and January 2018. Five other Romanians are in the top 100 in the world. Sorana Cirstea is up one place, to 35, Irina Begu went up two notches, to 36, and Mihaela Buzarnescu went up one place, to 38. Monica Niculescu went down three places to 72, and Ana Bogdan climbed one step, to 86.


    (Translated by C. Cotoiu & V. Palcu)