Romanian MEP Diana Șoșoacă was penalized for disrupting a session of the European Parliament in July of this year. She will be unable to participate in the Parliament's plenary session for seven days, during which time her daily allowance will be withheld, MEP Sigfried Mureșan announced.

Back in July, the fiery far-right politician Diana Șoșoacă was escorted out of the European Parliament's plenary session during a debate on Ursula von der Leyen's election. She had put on a muzzle and constantly shouted about the pandemic and vaccines (a video of the incident below).

The Romanian MEP, who was holding up an Orthodox icon and kept saying, "In God we trust," was escorted out of the plenary hall to the applause of the MEPs. She continued to shout in the hallways, saying that European Commission president von der Leyen "killed people" through the Covid-era vaccine mandates. 

Now, Șoșoacă was penalized for her disruptive behavior during that session, according to PNL MEP Sigfried Mureșan. The penalty involves suspending her from participating in the European Parliament's plenary session for seven days and withholding her daily allowance for the same period.

Meanwhile, back in Romania, the General Prosecutor's Office has reportedly initiated a criminal case following Diana Șoșoacă's homage to former far-right leader Corneliu Zelea Codreanu.

On Saturday, October 5, after the Constitutional Court invalidated her presidential candidacy, Șoșoacă went live on YouTube and paid tribute to former far-right leader Corneliu Zelea Codreanu. "From this moment, it's over for Romania; the state no longer exists, nothing remains. All I can say is 'Long live the Legion and the Captain,' who were killed by the same Jewish power that acted now. Shame on everyone!" she said, according to Agerpres.

The investigation reportedly targets the offense under Article 5 of Government Ordinance 31/2002, which prohibits fascist, racist, or xenophobic organizations and symbols, as well as the promotion of individuals guilty of crimes against peace and humanity.

Former MEP Vlad Gheorghe also announced on Monday that he would file a criminal complaint with the General Prosecutor's Office against Diana Șoșoacă for antisemitism and the promotion of fascist views.

The Constitutional Court motivated its rejection of Șoșoacă's candidacy by noting that the Central Electoral Bureau failed to spot irregularities in the documents that she filed. The same institution failed to assess the lack of attachment to the democratic values of the would-be candidate.

Other presidential candidates criticized the institution for infringing on the democratic right to stand for election. Nevertheless, the decision leaves a portion of the electorate up for grabs, which may sway the result of the presidential elections.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo: screenshot from Facebook video)