Interior Minister Carmen Dan stated on Thursday, after she was heard at the Prosecutor General’s Office, that she will come up with clarifications concerning Premier Mihai Tudose’s statements according to which he can no longer work with a minister who lies to him.
Carmen Dan was heard at the Supreme Court’s Prosecutor’s Office for almost ninety minutes, stating that she clarified “the aspects that had to be clarified” in the dossier that was opened at the end of November after she stated she found a bug in an electric plug in the rented apartment in which she lives in Bucharest.
She refused to answer the journalists’ insistent questions regarding her resignation, stating only that she will come up with clarifications “as soon as possible” in what concerns Premier Mihai Tudose’s statements.
“I’ve answered the prosecutors’ questions, I’ve clarified the aspects that had to be clarified. In what concerns the Prime Minister’s statements, I’ll come up with clarifications as soon as possible,” Carmen Dan stated when leaving the Supreme Court’s Prosecutor’s Office.
Premier Mihai Tudose stated on Wednesday that if Minister Carmen Dan tenders her resignation he would accept it, arguing he cannot work with a minister who lied about the replacement of the head of the Romanian Police.
He said Minister Carmen Dan “lied” to him, pointing out that she had informed him that Catalin Ionita – the man she nominated as the new head of Romanian Police – is willing to accept the office but when he called him he categorically refused the office.
“[With] a minister who takes the liberty to lie to me in this fashion… I can no longer work,” Mihai Tudose stated.
Asked about the meaning of that, Tudose pointed out that if Minister Dan tenders her resignation he will accept it. “If she’s allowed to, she will resign,” the Premier pointed out.
The Premier explained that, against the backdrop in which he did not have a replacement for the office of head of the Romanian Police, he could not accept the dismissal proposal, especially since he wanted clarifications from Bogdan Despescu.
“The head of Police was replaced. We had a nomination. I found out that that gentleman does not want to, and refuses, I couldn’t have dismissed someone, leaving the Police without a leader. My anger with the Interior Minister is the following. I asked her if it’s true that he’s refusing, and she said no. At noon, I called the quaestor (Catalin Ionita – editor’s note) to ask him myself. The dialogue went pretty much like this: ‘I’m the Premier, do you want this office?’ and he told me ‘Mr Premier, allow me to report: I showed up before the minister with a report in which I told her I refuse. I’ve been sitting in the waiting room since then, she told me to wait.’ If a minister takes the liberty to lie to me, I can no longer work with her. She expressed her intention on Monday, and I told her I will accept her resignation if she tenders it. If she’s allowed to tender it,” Mihai Tudose stated on Antena3.
Premier Mihai Tudose postponed a decision on the request to dismiss the head of the Romanian Police and had a discussion with him on Wednesday. After his meeting with Bogdan Despescu, Head of the Romanian Police, a meeting that took place at the Government headquarters, Tudose said he expects him to come up with two very clear issues, in a week’s time at most: firstly the culprits that should be deferred to justice, “from the shift colleagues who did not recognise their colleague” up to the hierarchical bosses “who should have known he had been probed before,” and “a set of measures that would solve the problem” and would restore the population’s confidence in the Police.
Minister Carmen Dan announced on Tuesday that she presented the Premier the proposal to replace Head of the Romanian Police Bogdan Despescu with Catalin Ionita, as acting Head of the Romanian Police, stating she is completely dissatisfied with the explanations she received from the Romanian Police regarding the case of the policeman accused of sexual assaults, and that she considers the announced measures insufficient.
The Head of the Romanian Police has the rank of secretary of state, and the order dismissing him from office must be signed by Premier Mihai Tudose.
Reactions to PM Tudose’s statement on IntMin Carmen Dan
Codrin Stefanescu: Carmen Dan shouldn’t resign; very urgent clarifications are needed from PM and IntMin
Interior Minister Carmen Dan should not resign, PSD Deputy Secretary General Codrin Stefanescu told RFI. He considers that Premier Mihai Tudose and the Interior Minister should “urgently” discuss and present a plan of measures following the case of the policeman suspected of paedophilia.
Codrin Stefanescu added that he expected the resignations or dismissal “of the paedophile’s direct superior, who kept him as his driver for years, of his deputy, of the ones from that Service, those who oversaw this brigade, of his boss from the Bucharest Police.” “As in any other democratic country, the whole of Romania was expecting some things to happen after such a shocking case, and they are being postponed,” Stefanescu stated.
PSD’s Deputy Secretary General considers that the resignation of Interior Minister Carmen Dan is not called for.
“Now we reached the discussion in which the Interior Minister’s resignation is being demanded. I believe she shouldn’t resign, but she should urgently discuss with the Prime Minister later today, and I believe they will do so, and they should come before the public opinion with a point of view, some detailed explanations for the whole of Romania – what will happen with the psychological examination, the psychiatric examination, how it will take place, what will happen to those who are guilty within this structure. Nobody in Romania, nobody in the party, and no Romanian citizen believes this spat is necessary; instead, some very urgent clarifications are needed on the part of both the Prime Minister – who has asked Despescu for a report – and the Interior Minister,” Codrin Stefanescu stated.
He added he talked with Premier Mihai Tudose and Interior Minister Carmen Dan: “I talked about this issue by phone, with both the Prime Minister and the Interior Minister. The Prime Minister clearly explained to me that Despescu had already come with a report on what had happened and on what he was planning to do, the Prime Minister gave him a few more days. I have the feeling the report was also about some internal investigations and some dismissals. The Prime Minister explained that, on top of that, he has dispatched his Audit Body, which is not bad because some things get discovered when the Prime Minister’s Audit Body is involved, because there was the news about the network whose member the paedophile was. (…) I also talked with the Interior Minister, and this was the discussion we had and our advice, the advice of party members: discuss, talk, hold a press conference, come out publicly and explain the measures you want to take, drop this resignation thing – ‘I’ll tender my resignation’, ‘I won’t tender my resignation’, ‘I’ll dismiss you’ or ‘you lied to me.’ No, Romania is expecting something entirely different this very second.”
Orban: PNL demands resignation of IntMin and IGPR Director. Dragnea of Teleorman and Dragnea of Braila are feuding over the control of the MAI
National Liberal Party (PNL) President Ludovic Orban stated on Thursday that “two militiamen – Dragnea of Teleorman and Dragnea of Braila – are feuding over the control of the Interior Ministry [MAI],” pointing out that PNL is demanding the resignation of both the Director of the Romanian Police Inspectorate (IGPR) and of Interior Minister Carmen Dan, following the case of the policeman accused of sexual assault.
“Two militiamen – I’m talking about Dragnea of Teleorman and Dragnea of Braila – are feuding over the control of the Interior Ministry, as always done by PSD, which has considered the Interior Ministry the jewel of the crown. Why? I find it very hard to understand,” Ludovic Orban said.
The PNL leader claimed that, “at this hour, the Romanian citizen is in danger.”
“The institution that should have taken care of the citizens’ lives and safety, of the citizens’ property, is no longer led at this hour. Nobody has authority over the Romanian Police anymore. (…) It’s increasingly clear that PSD is unable to govern,” the PNL President added.
He added that, in any other country, an Interior Minister whose nomination for the head of Police was refused by the Premier would have resigned.
“Nevertheless, the Interior Minister has stuck her head in the sand, like an ostrich; she is no longer in charge of the Interior Ministry but she doesn’t bother to resign either, and the Premier is crying on TV and is waiting for her resignation, as if it isn’t in his power to dismiss a minister with whom he cannot collaborate,” Ludovic Orban emphasised.
Orban pointed out PNL is demanding the resignation of both the Romanian Police Director and the Interior Minister.
MEP Dancila: PSD’s Women’s Organisation is incensed. Carmen Dan, third woman accused by PM and her departure from Gov’t is wanted. “An attempt was made to humiliate the minister”
Social Democratic Party (PSD) MEP Viorica Dancila stated on Thursday, for Mediafax, that PSD’s Women’s Organisation is indignant with the fact that three women have so far left the Tudose Government, and now an attempt is being made to dismiss Interior Minister Carmen Dan, stating that “an attempt was made to humiliate the minister.”
“Contradictory opinions can exist anywhere, but I believe that, the moment you are Prime Minister and you have ministers under your authority, discussions can lead to solving these differences of opinion. For me it’s hard to explain, especially the fact that, so far, she is the third woman whom the Premier accuses and her departure from Government is wanted. (…) So far almost all those who had to leave the Government because of conflicts with the Premier are women,” PSD MEP Viorica Dancila stated for Mediafax, referring to Rovana Plumb, Shevil Shhaideh and Doina Pana.
Viorica Dancila criticised the attempted humiliation of minister Carmen Dan.
“It would have been much better to summon her and to discuss based on arguments, rather than that gesture which was an attempt to humiliate the minister before her Government colleagues,” Dancila said.
The PSD MEP stated that each member of Government obtained a vote of confidence from PSD’s Executive Committee and the Premier should take that into account.
“For me, for PSD’s Women’s Organisation, for female colleagues throughout the country, it is alarming. The 240,000 female members of PSD are indignant with this situation. So far three women have left the Government and the dismissal of the fourth – minister Carmen Dan – is being attempted. I can’t believe that all those not doing their job – in the Prime Minister’s opinion – are to be found only among women,” Viorica Dancila added.
