The president of the Party “Dignity and Truth Platform” (PPPDA) Dinu Plîngău said the bill that allows for the lifting of parliamentary immunity for passive and active corruption represents political PR aimed at instilling the idea of a fight against corruption. Legislative immunity should be lifted for all types of offenses, except for political statements, IPN reports.
Yesterday, the Government approved PAS MPs’ bill to lift parliamentary immunity for active and passive corruption, influence peddling, abuse of power, unjust enrichment and money laundering. The legislative proposal was earlier approved by the Constitutional Court. The new president of PPPDA described the MPs’ immunity as a privilege that proved its uselessness in time.
“There were many initiatives to fully lift legislative immunity. We here also have the component of attractiveness for the public. Any person or MP can be arrested if this is caught red-handed. It is very hard to prove cases of corruption if there is no evidence at the moment. If there are 67 votes in Parliament, they should fully lift parliamentary immunity. I do not see the purpose of this immunity. Immunity should be enjoyed only for political statements and opinions. Our 30-year experience as a state shows that immunity is useful only for those from the government, not yet for those from the opposition,” Dinu Plîngău stated in the program “Secrets of the Power” on JurnalTV channel.
In accordance with the law, the bills to amend the Constitution are adopted by a constitutional majority, which is by 67 votes. The current government has 63 seats of MP. Dinu Plîngău said political consensus should be reached in Parliament for fully lifting legislative immunity.
“These are half-measures. If there are sufficient votes in Parliament for such an initiative, I don’t understand why the immunity is not fully excluded. This bill was announced in public for several times. They presented the bill first and then intensely promoted the Government’s appraisal. This is rather political PR,” said the president of PPPDA.
Minister of Justice Sergiu Litvinenco was also invited to the program, but he ultimately informed that he was unable to come.
