Prosecutors opened early this week a criminal case that concerns the leaking of information from inside the institution. More precisely, they want to find out who is the person from within the General Prosecutor’s Office who handed over to journalists the indictment in the Colectiv case.
The scandal started after the information included in the Colectiv case indictment was revealed by Digi24. For the time being, the criminal case is in rem, meaning there are no suspects and the investigation is focusing on the deed. According to acting General Prosecutor Bogdan Licu (photo), the investigation was allegedly affected by the leaks, which did not accurately reflect the indictment.
Romania’s acting Prosecutor General Bogdan Licu on Tuesday announced having called on the chief prosecutor of the section building the case related to an October 2105 fire in Colectiv club of Bucharest to build a separate criminal case for ”the offence of justice interest being compromised.”
“Unfortunately (…) a draft version of the indictment has been carried by the media, which in fact it is not even an indictment report, but a working document of prosecutors. I am very sorry the document was leaked to the media; that is unacceptable and that is why I want to inform you that I have filed a written report with the chief prosecutor of the relevant section, Ms Camelia Sutiman, so that a separate criminal case may be built, because, as far as I am concerned, the offence of justice interests being compromised has been committed,” said Licu.
He added that the Colectiv case will proceed to the court in about one week’s time, as it is being worked out by prosecutors; the media will be informed as soon as the document is finalised.
“It is unacceptable that such documents are leaked to the media, with all due respect to public information, all the more so as it is public disinformation because that document is only a working document of prosecutors,” said Licu.
According to the draft, a 170-page document presented by the news channel, six persons will be arraigned: the three owners of the Colectiv nightclub, two fireworks workers and the owner of the fireworks company that handled the fireworks display on the night of the tragedy.
64 persons were killed in the fire on October 30 last year.
Ex-Premier on his post-Colectiv resignation: I wanted to leave but I wanted to tell my mother
In an interview for Antena 3, Victor Ponta talked about the moment he resigned, confessing that he would have wanted to do so right on the evening in which people protested following the Colectiv tragedy. “I cannot joke because people died. The death of some people, used politically… I said “Ok. I’ll leave.” When I heard the people shout “murderer,” I said: “That’s it, we’re leaving tomorrow.” I wanted to leave that very evening, but I wanted to tell my mother. Oprea [Gabriel Oprea] wanted to leave too,” the former Premier stated, pointing out that former Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea had a backbone and accepted resigning.
Victor Ponta resigned on November 4, from the office of Prime Minister, following massive protests that took place throughout the country following the Colectiv tragedy that left 64 people dead.
