Chief Prosecutor Kovesi: Study shows 68pct of Romanians sees corruption as affecting their daily lives

A study conducted Europewide shows that 68 percent of Romanians perceive corruption as a phenomenon that affects their daily lives, Chief Prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi told a debate on Tuesday on corruption in Romania's public healthcare system.

"This is a Eurobarometer report on corruption, published in October 2017. In this report, 68 percent of Romanian respondents perceive corruption as one of the phenomena that affect their daily lives. The 68-percent mark ranks Romania first among the European Union countries in terms of the perception of corruption in daily life. At EU level, those who consider that everyday life is affected by corruption is only 25 percent," Kovesi said.

She added, quoting the same study, that in the case of Romania the health system was mentioned by 58 percent of the respondents as the most affected by corruption, as against only 31 percent elsewhere in the European Union.

"Corruption in the public health system translates into costs borne by patients directly because they are covered from their own pockets, or indirectly because they are affected and the social security budget is damaged. We have often found in our investigations that the extra cost that private-owned firms pay as a bribe is reflected in the quality and cost of services that citizens receive," said Kovesi.

Kovesi took part in a debate called "Corruption in the public healthcare system - Analysis of DNA cases solved by court under final and binding convictions between 2015 and 2017." Attending the event were also Attorney General Augustin Lazar, representatives of the judiciary, as well as NGOs dealing with healthcare and the fight against corruption.