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PG Lazar sends request to President to start prosecution against a former president and prime minister in 1989 Revolution case
Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar conveyed to President Klaus Iohannis the request to start the criminal prosecution in the Revolution case against Ion Iliescu, Peter Roman and Gelu Voican Voiculescu, in respect to committing crimes against humanity, the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice (PICCJ) informs.
"The Prosecutor General of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice has addressed to the President of Romania a request to exercise the constitutional and legal prerogatives regarding the criminal prosecution request in respect to committing crimes against humanity, according to the Criminal Code's article 439 paragraph (1) letter a, g, i and k, with the application of Article 5 of the Criminal Code, against: Iliescu Ion, member and president of the Council of the National Salvation Front (since December 22, 1989), a body which de facto exercised the central executive and legislative power, acting as a Government until the Decree-Law No. 2 of December 27, 1989, when the president of the council was given the role of a head of state, and the legislative powers of the council were separated from those of the executive ones, requiring authorization for December 22-27, 1989; Roman Petre, member of the Council of the National Salvation Front, since December 22, 1989, officially named Prime Minister of the Government of Romania by Decree No.1 of December 26, 1989, requiring authorization for the period December 22-31, 1989; Gelu Voican Voiculescu, member of the National Salvation Front's Council since December 22, 1989, officially appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Romanian Government by Decree no. 5 of December 28, 1989, requiring authorization for the period from December 22 to 31, 1989," reads a release from the Prosecutor General 's Office.
The request of the Prosecutor General is based on the constitutional and legal provisions (article 109 paragraph 2 of the Constitution of Romania, respectively articles 12 and 19 of Law No. 115/1999), as well as on the Constitutional Court's decision no. 270 of March 10, 2008, the release mentions.
Former Prime Minister Petre Roman came out to say that the request of Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar to start criminal investigation against him in the December 1989 Revolution case is "outrageous" and "extremely surprising", arguing that in the respective period he had no capacity whatsoever to be able to influence military actions.
"What drives me is primarily a feeling of outrage and total surprise, because I have absolutely nothing to do with this. Whereas there have been military actions in those days, what capacity did I have to influence such actions? Absolutely none! I was a nobody at that time. I held no office whatsoever, it was only on December 27 that I became Romania's Prime Minister. This for the first point. Secondly, there have been military actions and, for instance, on the evening of December 21 I was one of the survivors of a military crackdown. 39 comrades were killed in University Square, others died in Timisoara. How can all these military operations where I could have easily lost my life be correlated in any way with what the request for criminal prosecution states? This is why I say it's totally outrageous and even absurd, unless this is a huge manipulation, because I had no capacity whatsoever to intervene in any way in the military orders that led to the harrowing events, to the tragedy of those killed, particularly the deaths before December 22 but also after December 22, 1989. I don't see any mention of a criminal investigation against those inside the military units who issued the orders that led to the said military actions. I personally had no authority. Who, if anyone, would have listened, and to whom? To the orders of participant in the Revolution? I insist and state it clearly that I categorically reject this request which I consider extremely surprising, not to say highly dubious as regards its motivations," Petre Roman told AGERPRES.
Pointing out that he had no capacity whatsoever to give orders at that time, he went on to say: "Do you know how many members we were in the National Salvation Front Council that was set up back then?! (...) About 37, and anyway the Council had no capacity at that time to give orders. The orders were given by the organisations in power - the Ministry of Defence in the first place, the Ministry of the Interior or whatever other agencies. How was I connected to these agencies? In no way. What was my capacity to influence them? Absolutely none," Roman said, reminding also that he testified twice at the Military Prosecutor's Office.