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| Scandal At Government Level 24/05/2011 |
| (2011-05-24) |
| Last updated: 2011-05-25 12:47 EET |
The shady operations in the Black Sea port of Constanta are finally being brought to light, after official investigations have so far eluded them with a suspicious caution. Several Liberal-Democrats are being investigated on charges of tax evasion or smuggling.
A new corruption scandal has dealt a serious blow to the image of the Liberal-Democratic Party, the number one political party in the ruling coalition. Liberal-Democrat Senator Mircea Banias and former state secretary at the Interior Ministry Laurentiu Mironescu stand out among a large group of people who are being investigated for serious customs crimes. Mironescu was sacked shortly after the scandal had broken out.
All of them are facing allegations of smuggling, tax evasion and influence peddling. The crimes were allegedly committed in the port of Constanta, Romania’s largest sea port, while overall losses border 1 million euros, anti-corruption prosecutors are saying. The process of ridding Romanian customs checkpoints of corruption was thus given fresh impetus in the area of maritime ports, where the crux of corruption had been previously kept at bay.
Several other arrests were operated earlier this year among customs and border police officers, especially at Romania’s Eastern and North-eastern borders with non-EU states. At present, anti-corruption prosecutors seem to be targeting primarily the ranks of the Liberal-Democratic Party. Among famous politicians faced with charges of corruption and other crimes prior to the exposure of the crime network at Constanta were deputies Monica Iacob Ridzi and Dan Pasat.
Liberal-Democrat vice-president Ioan Oltean admits charges brought against senator Banias and former state secretary Laurentiu Mironescu are tainting the party’s image. The Liberal-Democratic official went on to say that the party had never obstructed justice, and anyone found guilty must be held accountable, irrespective of his/her position.
The case of Laurentiu Mironescu, who had held an important office within the very ministry with law-enforcing responsibilities, poses a genuine threat to the image of the party. Interior Minister Traian Igas sacked Mironescu, although acknowledging the good work of the former state secretary. Iagas also highlighted that the project of restructuring and modernizing the Interior Ministry was achieved with Mironescu’s contribution.
During this time, Minister Igas argues, Mironescu’s record was as clean as could be, since no institution reported Mironescu to be involved in criminal activities at the time. Bucharest newspapers write that Romanian authorities have finally dealt a deathblow to border corruption after several years of overlooking the illegal activities in the port of Constanta.
“Crime whirlwind hits corruption haven”, headlines the daily paper Romania Libera. Adevarul daily paper also writes that Mironescu and Banias are investigated for overseeing a Turkish-Chinese criminal network in the port of Constanta. In its traditional editorial vein, the daily paper Jurnalul National tries to link the network of allegedly mafia-sided politicians to president Traian Basescu’s family.
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