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Iohannis requests Government to analyze sentence compensation bill
President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday asked the government to proceed within short to an in-depth analysis on the issue of the compensatory appeal and come up with solutions, emphasizing that the parliamentary procedure to correct the legislation can be fast initiated.
"I am asking the government of Romania to proceed within short to an in-depth analysis and come up with solutions," the President said, adding that "the solutions must come from the government, from the Minister of Justice. The relevant parliament procedure can be fast initiated, the legislation can be corrected. The only unacceptable thing is to seek for the guilty instead of looking for solutions," Iohannis said at the Cotroceni Palace.
According to the head of state, the safety of the citizen is non-negotiable. "Many have noticed and there has been a lot of talk in various broadcasts and other media about offenders who were released before the completion of the sentence term, based on what is called the compensatory appeal, ie they were released sooner because of the bad conditions in Romanian prisons. This was possible under a law that is in force. Yet on the other hand, I must state this very clearly - the safety of the Romanian citizen is non-negotiable, therefore we have to quickly draw some conclusions and come up with measures that allow the common citizen to be at peace in his home, free of the fear that a released convict could break in," said Iohannis.
The President pointed out that the solution to this problem is not seeking for those to blame in previous governments and other majorities.
"I have noticed multiple stances, both in the government and in the parliamentary majority, but also in the opposition, and they all resemble each other: they are looking for who is to blame for this law. I clearly tell you: this is not the solution. Looking to cast the blame on other governments and majorities has never solved any problem. Therefore I am asking the Romanian government to proceed within short to an in-depth analysis and to come up with solutions. I repeat - I am asking the government to proceed to a thorough look at the matter and present solutions. These solutions must come from the government, from the Ministry of Justice. The relevant parliament procedure can be fast initiated, the legislation can be corrected. The only unacceptable thing is to seek for the guilty instead of looking for solutions. (...) I urge the Romanian government to promptly come up with solutions to this issue," Iohannis said.
On the other side, former PM Dacian Ciolos and former Justice minister Raluca Pruna explained the draft law had been adopted by the Grindeanu Government in January 2017 and later on in May the bill had been fundamentally amended in Parliament by the PSD-ALDE coalition.
Raluca Pruna argues that bill initiated by Ciolos’ technocrat cabinet had been amended so that the release conditions had become much more flexible. The former minister argues that in the initial form of the law, about 1,700 inmates would have been released from jail, while now over 11,000 are benefit of the pre-term release.
The compensatory appeal law was voted on May 9, 2017 by the Chamber of Deputies by 175 votes (from PSD, ALDE and UDMR) to 85 against (PNL and USR). The form the law ended up in Parliament was substantially amended by the incumbent ruling coalition.
Tens of crimes (robberies, rapes, assaults) have been committed by the recidivists released from prison earlier based on the compensatory appeal.
As for the Justice minister Tudorel Toader, asked to comment the USR’s call on the Government to issue an emergency ordinance to abolish the law on the compensatory appeal, he replied that he will review such a request when he gets it, though adding he is not the one to take such a decision. “What, is it the Justice minister’s business to adopt ordinances?” Previously, he said that ‘initiators and those who Okayed this law should take the responsibility of its effects.’