Liberal leader Orban summoned to DIICOT over complaint against PM on four alleged crimes

Chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Ludovic Orban reported on Tuesday to the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) to be heard in connection with the complaint he filed against PM Viorica Dancila and Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea. 

"I was summoned by the DIICOT prosecutor who started action in rem to investigate the facts. Of course I will report all information I know about the subject. My complaint refers to four possible crimes, namely usurpation of office, disclosure of secret information, non-public information, the presentation in bad faith of inaccurate information to the President of Romania, which are all acts that affect the state's interest," Orban said, adding that he will provide to the prosecutor all the information he holds from the media, "from open sources", for the prosecutor to proceed with the investigation according to the law. 

"My referral does not refer to the essence of the decision, but to the way this decision was made, to the way Liviu Dragnea and Vasilica Viorica Dancila have acted in violation of the provisions of the Constitution and of the laws in force. I have nothing against the State of Israel. This was Liviu Dragnea's erroneous and ill-intended interpretation. Romania - Israel relations will not be affected in any way," Orban added. 

On May 17 Ludovic Orban announced in Iasi having filed in "capacity of citizen of Romania" a complaint with the Prosecutor's Office with the Supreme Court regarding certain acts committed by Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and PSD leader Liviu Dragnea. 

He added said that these acts are related to "preparing, adopting, and disclosing to the public, and everything that happened after" the government passed a memorandum on relocating Romania's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. 

Subsequently, the Prosecutor General's Office decided to forward the complaint to DIICOT, which is the competent institution to investigate such acts and DIICOT announced having started in rem criminal investigation into the acts listed in the complaint. 

According to judicial sources, the decision was taken on June 7 in connection to the criminal offenses of high treason and disclosure of secrets that threatens national security.