National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) prosecutors have requested, on Tuesday, at the Supreme Court, a three-year prison sentence for Senate’s President Calin Popescu Tariceanu, in the file in which he is accused of perjury.
The High Court of Cassation and Justice discussed on Tuesday the last term of Calin Popescu Tariceanu’s file and the court prosecutor took advantage of the opportunity and reiterated the accusations in the indictment, and the lawyer took the final plea in this case.
The Court remains to rule and will announce the decision on the 22 May.
Upon Tuesday’s term, the DNA prosecutor upheld, in front of the Court, that the President of the Senate, at every opportunity, completely disregarded that allegations are thoroughly substantiated, and in an “act of total arrogance” he came with all sorts of evidence or justifications in order to maintain his own version of the accounts, adding that “he had a puerile defence, unfit for higher education.”
The investigator also showed that “the obligation to be honest is completely alien to Calin Popescu Tariceanu.”
“We therefore consider the deed was perpetrated, beyond any doubt, and as such we are asking for a three-year prison sentence. This is the only way in which the behavior can be corrected and the role of the punishment be ensured. Upon setting the punishment and its length, please keep in mind the complexity of the deed and the social impact that was produced by such a deed conducted by a former prime minister,” the DNA representative said.
Furthermore, Calin Popescu Tariceanu’s attorney requested the judges to exclude the official records that were issued based on the national security warrants from 2008 – 2014, specifying that “they have neither relevance nor grounds.” The defender also showed that the crime that his client is accused of is not based on evidence.
Calin Popescu-Tariceanu was sued by the DNA on July 7, 2016 for false testimony and favoring the offender.
According to the DNA, the investigation into the illegal restitution of an area of the Snagov forest and Baneasa Farm, Tariceanu, under oath, made on April 15, 2016 false statements regarding the essential aspects of the case about which he was asked and did not say all that he knew about essential circumstances, aiming to prevent / hinder the criminal prosecution of the defendants investigated in the file sent to court.
The prosecutors say that Tariceanu unrealistically claimed that he had no knowledge of the retrocession to Paul Philippe of Romania of some land plots in Baneasa (the former royal farm) and Snagov forest, about the involvement of defendants Tal Silberstein, Beny Steinmetz, Moshe Agavi and others in the restitution proceedings, nor about the sale-purchase documents for these goods.
Tariceanu is accused of having made false statements and not saying all he knows about the relationship with the defendants Tal Silberstein, Dan Andronic and Remus Truica, about the meetings and discussions with the latter regarding the notary fees on the transaction of the mentioned properties and the manner or acquiring and selling the claimed goods.
Senate’s Tariceanu at Supreme Court: Accusations are based on serious mystifications and contradictions
Senate’s Speaker Calin Popescu-Tariceanu said on Tuesday, at the Supreme Court, that the accusations brought against him by the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) prosecutors “are based on serious mystifications and contradictions.”
The judges of the High Court of Cassation and Justice on Tuesday dealt with the last term of the case in which Calin Popescu-Tariceanu is being tried for false testimony and favoring the offender, context in which the Senate’s speaker delivered his final speech before the magistrates.
“All the statements I have made were sincere, in good faith. I consider myself to be innocent and did not want to hinder the criminal investigation or the accountability of the defendants. The accusations are based on mystifications and serious contradictions. I have also detailed the relationship with Dan Andronic and the duration with regard to Tal Silberstein, as well. (…) What is intended is entirely different than bringing the truth to light. (…) A lot of suppositions are made, some of which are not found in the indictment,” Tariceanu said.
