Ponta: New claims for nationalized buildings can no longer be filed

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The state will no longer accept the filing of new claims for the retrocession of buildings nationalized during the communist period because the rightful owners had 23 years at their disposal to do so, Premier Victor Ponta stated yesterday during the government meeting. On March 26 the government plans to ask a confidence vote for the adoption of a draft law on the reimbursement of former owners of nationalized buildings.The Premier also announced that the draft on reimbursements will be outlined on the basis of 3 principles – the fact that retrocessions in the form of money will be done for 7 years, the buildings will maintain their current use for 20 years and the litigation rights will be taxed by 85 per cent. At the same time, Ponta stated that the former owners of nationalized buildings received less money than the “speculators” that bought litigation rights, speculators that have “their people in Parliament” that propose laws that favor them, such as a former Prime Minister and other “sponsored MPs.” He pointed out that 26,000 owners or their descendants have so far received approximately RON 6.5 bln, while one thousand persons that bought litigation rights received RON 8 bln. “We have an obligation, which we understand, of restituting to owners and their descendants what the communist state took from them 70 years ago, but we have no obligation towards those that make a business out of this. I call them “speculators” because that’s how they’re known, the ones that find inheritors, come up with, find all kinds of documents… Good ideas were turned into business by those that have nothing to do with what happened 70 years ago. From this point of view a tax of 85 per cent for those that are not owners or descendants, those that bought litigation rights, is constitutional. A profit of 15 per cent is a fair profit,” Ponta said during the government meeting. The Premier added that he is convinced that MPs of good faith will understand the necessity of the government’s initiative and gave assurances that from his point of view the government will no longer assume responsibility this year.He said the government chose to ask Parliament for a vote of confidence because regulations in this domain were issued, starting with the year 2000, through laws adopted by all Parliamentary parties.