By Dean Edgar
And so it continues, the ongoing battle between Klaus Iohannis and Liviu Dragnea, with the latter seeming to have the upper hand. The CCR (Constitutional Court) has decided that after being asked by the Justice Minister, Toader Tudorel (an apt name if ever there was one) Klaus Iohannis has to dismiss Laura Codruța Kovesi the director of the DNA, the leader of the fight against corruption and the enemy of the PSD. The judges in the CCR are politically elected and the majority of them are PSD backed. So far, Iohannis has refused to remove Kovesi, but sooner or later the government will remove him and most likely the Senate leader Călin Popescu Tăriceanu, who is a very close ally of Dragnea, will become the president, and he will remove Kovesi. There will be no one left to fight the fight. Outstanding criminal cases against current members of the PSD will be dropped, the PSD will become stronger and stronger, which in my opinion will severely cripple this country for years to come. EU fund absorsion is almost non-existent, highways are not being built, hospitals underfunded, doctors are leaving the country, and poverty is rising. Where will it all end?
Europe is paying some attention to the situation here in Romania, with The Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) making strong recommendations on the application of law within Romania, it stated that Romania has regressed and changes should be made. The Justice minister, effectively told GRECO to bugger off.
Meanwhile in Costa Rica, the former protege and alleged lover of the former president, Elena Udrea, has been sentenced in Bucharest by the Supreme Court to 6 years in prison for bribe taking and fraud. An international arrest warrant has been issued and the police seem to think that they can obtain an extradition order and have her brought back to Romania to serve her sentence. If she was a member of the PSD, and not the PNL, she would probably be prime minister by now.
I have been complaining about the lack of any political opposition then up pops Victor Ponta, one time golden boy of the PSD, with his new party, Pro Romania. Several PSD MP’s have jumped the PSD ship and joined him, therefore negating PSD’s majority in parliament. New political parties spring up all the time, with MPs changing their political leanings at the drop of hat. I am not sure what the ex PSD party member will bring to Romanian politics, that is yet to be seen. However as long as there is no majority, the PSD juggernaut has been dealt a blow.
Ilie Năstase, the bad boy of tennis, misogynist, part time racist and wearer of military uniforms managed to get himself arrested, not once but twice in the same day for drunk driving. Quite a feat for anyone. When stopped the first time he refused the breathalyzer test and started getting a little aggressive towards the police, so was taken to headquarters for a blood test. Later that day, he left Floreasca hospital on a scooter, and was stopped again by the police. Some people seem to be of the opinion that they are above the law.
Sad news on the sporting front after World Rugby announced that the Romanian Rugby team have been disqualified from next years World Cup. The World Rugby organisation has always considered Romania to be the black sheep of rugby, holding back the advancement of the national side by not allowing tests against tier 1 sides, therefore not allowing them the experience of playing against better sides. The ban came after Spain lost against Belgium. Spain blamed the Romanian referee, Vlad Iordachescu, for bias. Vlad certainly had a shocker of match, but was there was intent or bias? Either way an official investigation was started. Whilst this got underway, Russia sent an official complaint that Spain, Belgium and Romania had fielded ineligible players. After a very long time, the findings of the independent Judicial and Disputes Committee were announced: all three national teams were disqualified. Russia will go to the World Cup while Germany, a team that was defeated 85-6 by Romania on the pitch, would make the playoffs. Romania vigorously followed all the necessary protocols for checking eligibility, but have been dealt with in an extreme and bizarre manner.
If the decision stands after the appeal, the union would lose more than one third of its annual budget, with disastrous consequences for the sport. It would be a shameful end of the proud tradition of the Oaks, who were the only Tier 2 nation to play in every Rugby World Cup since the start of the competition. A sad day for Romanian rugby.
Until July, goodbye.
Dean Edgar has been living the expat dream here in Romania for 11 years. He is General Manager of Moorcroft Services, a company dedicated to assisting foreigners to settle in Romania. They can help with visas, permits, company set-ups, car registration, house hunting, insurance, orientation tours and basically anything that a newcomer to Romania might need see www.moorcroft.ro for further details.
