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DNA: the Senat is blocking all investigation procedures în Oprea case
The National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) has announced that the Senate on Monday denying a request to prosecute former Deputy Prime Minister Gabriel Oprea for culpable homicide is blocking all investigation procedures in the matter while preventing prosecutors from establishing Oprea's responsibility in the death of police agent Bogdan Gigina.
"The Romanian Senate denying by a majority the request from the National Anti-Corruption Directorate for the start of prosecution results in all procedures related to the investigation of Gabriel Oprea for culpable homicide being blocked, while preventing the National Anti-Corruption prosecutors from establishing Oprea's criminal liability in the death of police agent Bogdan Gigina," DNA says in a press statement.
DNA points out that the majority vote of the Senate on its request means justice cannot be done.
On September 1, a request was submitted for the prosecution of Senator Gabriel Oprea, a former deputy prime minister for national security and interior minister, for culpable homicide while in office.
At a plenary session on Monday, the Senate voted down the request.
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The spokesperson for President Klaus Iohannis, Madalina Dobrovolschi, says the President is deeply disappointed by the Senate vote on Monday against the start of a criminal investigation on Senator Gabriel Oprea, and he believes a plenary vote does not establish guilt or lack thereof, but the court does.
"Romania's President, Mr Klaus Iohannis, is deeply disappointed by what happened in the Parliament. The President is once again reiterating what he has said many times: politicians stymieing justice will never enjoy the citizens' respect or trust. By their vote today, some senators once again proved that they have failed to understand that a plenary vote does not establish guilt or lack thereof, but the court does. Under the rule of law, nobody should be above the law!" Dobrovolschi said on Monday.
În this context, head of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Liviu Dragnea said on Tuesday, referring to the Senate vote in the case of former Deputy Prime Minister Gabriel Oprea and other similar cases, that the pressure put on MPs is unimaginable and turns them into judges.
"I'm not going to comment anymore on such votes, because as long as our Constitution provides it, wrongly in my opinion - maybe the architects of the Constitution thought about it in a certain way - the developments in our society puts us in a situation that pressures these people into becoming judges, and it should not be the case," Dragnea said at the end of an economics conference in Bucharest.
He also said he supports lifting "everybody's immunity", including the President's.
"With this provision enforced, at the end of the day, politicians express their opinion by voting as they see fit. If at any point we'll be able to amend the Constitution of this country, I will suggest eliminating immunity for everybody, including the Romanian President. It's either everybody abides by the law, meaning nobody is above the law, or we adopt models from other countries," the politician explained.
Senators rejected on Monday a request by National Anti-Corruption Directorate to prosecute Oprea for culpable homicide in the death of police agent Bogdan Gigina.