Committee chair Manda: Maior confirmed that he had meetings and discussions with media leaders

Former head of Romania's Intelligence Service (SRI) George Maior confirmed on Tuesday in a testimony before Parliament's SRI Oversight Committee that he would have meetings and discussions with leaders of media organisations, but none were at his request, says committee chair Claudiu Manda.

"He was asked about the relationship with the media and his involvement with the press. He said he would have meetings and discussions with people in the leadership of media organisations. He did not want to give names, but when he was asked for names, he replied that in general these discussions were at the initiative of some people in the leadership of media organisations, not at his initiative, and that he did not ask in any way for aid or support to advance Romania's interests related to counter-terrorism, and that he never gave orders for local politics to support SRI promotion campaigns or political partisanship," Manda said.

According to Manda, Maior confirmed that he had talks with embattled media mogul Adrian Sarbu.

Manda added that Maior claimed SRI stack to neutrality in the elections. 

He also mentioned a meeting that Maior confirmed with fugitive media mogul Sebastian Ghita and "a person at the helm of a foreign intelligence service."

"There was one more thing that I mentioned and he confirmed that there was a meeting of him, Mr Ghita, a person at the helm of a foreign intelligence service. And with regard to [chief anti-graft prosecutor] Ms Kovesi, he said that he does not want or does not remember [her being at the meeting], but from what I understand from other intelligence is that Mrs Kovesi did attend such a meeting on the SRI premises," said Manda.

Former SRI Chief George Maior, now Romania's ambassador to the US, testified before the parliamentary committee for six hours.