Cross-border corruption problem ‘is a 20 years old problem’

President Traian Băsescu stated that in Romania, Government Institutions have formed an alliance against corruption.

Cross-border problems are old and well known by all political systems which have succeeded to power, Traian Băsescu also said at Romania News Radio Station and he added that all governments have been lacked of the will to interfere in this area.

‘If we talk about the gangrene from Romanian borders, it is obvious that also this attempt to leave it to 2009, 2010 is a big lie. The gangrene is old, well known and allowed by all the political parties which succeeded to government since ’90 until our days’, the president of Romania affirmed.

Traian Băsescu specified that he had received reports about the cross-border situation at least twice a year, and he thinks that one of the reason for which the Parliament prorogued the National Security Strategy adoption is the mention of tax dodging and smuggling to vulnerability.

‘Of course I received, at least twice a year, information about what was happening at border. I can also tell you that I did not remain unaffected on hearing them. The government institutions had to react and they did react, not necessarily lashed by the president, but they did react’, Traian Băsescu stated.

The president also said that the persons investigated in the cross-border bribery case have the chance to spend less time in prison or even none, if they say to whom they gave money, ‘with last name and first name’.

Traian Băsescu stated that whether the political parties want or not, the government institutions would fight against corruption.

The head of state affirmed that there is a course which tries to make the ruling party responsible for the cross-border corruption and he specified that if inside the Liberal Democrat Party had been Mafia type mechanisms then the operations would not have started while it was still governing.

One percent of the illegal immigration waves ‘do not pass Romania borders’

President Traian Băsescu stated that the European Commission report on justice would be ready Friday, the latest.

The head of state added that, again, ‘the Parliament faces a difficult situation’, and in the report it would be said that ‘the Parliament obstructs the access to justice’, unless it is written down that ‘the vote from Parliament proves the lack of political will’.

President Traian Băsescu also said that immigrants from the European Union did not cross Romanian borders.

‘A reality: European Union has a few millions of illegal immigrants. They have not crossed the Romanian borders, but the border of some Schengen countries’, the president says.

The head of state declared in this context that Romania would not accept any other standard than the one applied to European Union countries.

‘Because the National Integrity Agency law failed last summer, the statement from the report was ‘the lack of politic will for fight against corruption’ Traian Băsescu also said.

The president also stated that Romania needed to be no problem concerning Păsat case and to exist no suspicion related to the operation of the Superior Council of Magistracy as if it needed air.

The president mentioned that he has ‘a little trust’ in the political parties.

‘As any Romanian, I have a little trust in the political parties and the Păsat case was an example’, Traian Băsescu also stated.

Translated by: Lidia Enăsoiu

MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University