Romania’s Ombudsman Victor Ciorbea said that he would challenge today at the Constitutional Court the law that doesn’t allow a person with a criminal sentence to become a member of the Government.

Asked if he had talked about this with the Social-Democratic Party (PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea, who failed to become a Prime Minister after his party’s victory in the elections due to his suspended two-year prison sentence, Ciorbea said that his action didn’t relate to Dragnea’s case, but to the overall regulation.

Victor Ciorbea said that the law violated several texts of the Romanian Constitution, as well as provisions of the international law. He added that his aim was to ensure a normal legislation and to keep a balance among the state’s powers. The current law creates an imbalance of power among the three branches of the state, Ciorbea claimed.

The law that doesn’t allow convicted people to become Government members was adopted in 2001, during Adrian Nastase’s regime. However, this law only came up after the parliamentary elections, when PSD leader Liviu Dragnea had to come up with a Prime Minister proposal. He couldn’t name himself as he was convicted to two years probation in 2016 for fraud at the referendum to dismiss former President Traian Basescu in 2012. Many of his party’s leaders said that he would be entitled to hold this position.

Dragnea was appointed president of the Chamber of Deputies and named Sorin Grindeanu as Prime Minister, but many believe that once the law is changed he will take over as PM.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Institutia Avocatul Poporului on Facebook)