Deputies in the Legal Commission rejected the Ministry of Justice request concerning PMP Deputy Florin Popescu, Mediafax informs. Bogdan Ciuca, Commission Chairman, stated the votes were 15 to 7 against the request with one abstention, and mentioned the plenum has sovereignty in deciding over the Ministry of Justice request. Also yesterday, the Chamber Standing Bureau decided the Legal Commission report on approving Florin Popescu’s remand in custody would be discussed in a plenum session next Tuesday or Wednesday and set the vote for May 7. The announcement was made by the Chamber’s Secretary Nicolae Mircovici.
After the Legal Commission rejected the request, deputy Florin Popescu issued a statement saying he has not eaten one chicken wing, and noted that the charges are for influence peddling, not accepting bribe. “Those are two different things. I have not been accused of accepting bribe. (…) Those who made the denouncement are under investigation for tax evasion, and if I had intervened, we would probably not be in this situation,” Popescu told reporters. He wished to thank the members of the Legal Commission for rejecting the request. The former Dambovita County Council chairman announced last week that his goal at the hearing before the Chamber plenum was to convince them he was not a danger to society. “I obey all state institutions and will not attack any state institution in the future, be it DNA or the Parliament. My fate is in God’s hands. I do not pose a danger to society,” the deputy said further. The request to remand Florin Popescu in custody reached the Chamber of Deputies last Thursday and was sent by Minister of Justice Robert Cazanciuc. Anticorruption prosecutors suspect Popescu of having requested approx. 70 tons of poultry worth over RON 400,000 from a company manager for the purpose of distributing it to citizens as part of the June 2012 electoral campaign.
