Romania approves emergency ordinance on amending criminal law

Romania's government on Tuesday unexpectedly adopted an emergency ordinance on amending Criminal Codes, redefining and partially decriminalizing the abuse of office offenses.

Justice Minister Florin Iordache said after the adoption that abuse of office is to be considered as a crime only if the damages exceed 200,000 lei (47,537 U.S. dollars).

"What is below 200,000 lei is not criminally sanctioned, and the prejudice must be recovered instead. We consider it's a reasonable quantum," Iordache said.

The ordinance went into effect immediately, even for ongoing cases, as Romanian criminal law stipulates that the most favorable dispositions always apply in judging criminal cases.

Iordache said the approved ordinance included some of the observations received in the last two weeks. For example, investigating a public official for abuse of power will not be conditioned by the existence of a complaint from the damaged side, as the initial draft provided.

However, the opposition complained the changes to the criminal law will likely help some criminally charged politicians from being punished.

Yet, the justice minister said that the ordinance and the drafts were not adopted for politicians or for certain people, but because the Constitutional Court ruled that some provisions of the criminal law were unconstitutional.

President Klaus Iohannis, the most powerful de facto opposition of the ruling coalition, said that it was a day of mourning for the rule of law, referring to the decisions of the government.

Soon after the approval of the ordinance, thousands of Bucharesters gathered in front of the government headquarters. Protests have also been seen in other big cities throughout the country.

At the same meeting late Tuesday, the cabinet also adopted the draft on pardon, which will go to Parliament in an emergency procedure.

According to authorities, the bill on pardon would ease overcrowding in prisons, as the number of complaints from Romania that reached the European Court of Human Rights has doubled last year, many of which were caused by the prison conditions.

source: Xinhua