{"id":6555,"date":"2017-11-27T16:17:07","date_gmt":"2017-11-27T13:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/anticorr.media\/?p=6555"},"modified":"2017-11-29T11:00:09","modified_gmt":"2017-11-29T08:00:09","slug":"rumyniyu-zaxlestnula-novaya-volna-antikorrupcionnyx-protestov","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/rumyniyu-zaxlestnula-novaya-volna-antikorrupcionnyx-protestov\/","title":{"rendered":"In Romania thousands rally against proposal to water down corruption laws"},"content":{"rendered":"

This material belongs to: DW<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thousands of people have marched across Romania to protest against plans to reduce the powers of the anti-corruption body. It is the second time this year that attempts to reform graft laws have provoked protests.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thousands of people marched in the Romanian\u00a0capital of Bucharest<\/a> and other major cities on Sunday to protest the government’s proposed\u00a0changes to the judicial system<\/a>, which critics say will weaken anti-corruption laws and allow political graft to go unpunished.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A joint statement issued by 40 Romanian civil society groups and two trade union federations accused the country of having been “taken over by a political mafia.”<\/p>\n

It follows a piece of proposed legislation introduced by the ruling Social Democrats<\/a> (PSD<\/a>) seeking to\u00a0draw back powers from the country’s respected anti-corruption directorate, the DNA<\/a>. The body enjoys a high degree of independence and has been behind several probes targeting hundreds of public officials.<\/p>\n

The most contested changes include reforming the inspection unit that oversees magistrates’ conduct, the manner in which chief prosecutors are appointed and the president’s right\u00a0to veto candidates.<\/p>\n

“Thieves, thieves,” shouted thousands of protesters in front of the PSD’s headquarters on Sunday. “We want justice, not corruption. PSD is the red plague,” a reference to the party’s communist roots.<\/p>\n

Protesters and mounted police briefly scuffled in the Romanian capital, although there were no initial reports of serious violence or injuries.<\/p>\n

Demonstrators also marched in opposition<\/a> to a proposed law that would shift social security taxes on the employee. The government says it will boost revenues but workers fear it could lead to lower wages.<\/p>\n

PSD’s fight against anti-corruption<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It is the PSD’s second attempt to\u00a0water down anti-graft laws in Romania<\/a>\u00a0since the party came to power in December. In February, then-Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu<\/a> was forced to backtrack on altering anti-corruption laws after they provoked the largest protests in Romania since communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu<\/a> was toppled and executed in 1989.<\/p>\n

That decree would have effectively protected dozens of public officials from prosecution for corruption. In reaction to legislation falling through,\u00a0the PSD ejected Grindeanu from power<\/a> and from his own party.<\/p>\n

The most recent set of proposals has come under rebuke from the European Commission<\/a>,\u00a0foreign diplomats and thousands of magistrates.\u00a0The anti-corruption organization Transparency International ranks\u00a0Romania among the European Union’s most corrupt states<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dragnea in the dock?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another source of dismay for protesters is PSD head Liviu Dragnea<\/a>, who is barred from office due to being convicted last year of vote rigging, but who is widely seen as being in charge.<\/p>\n

Last week,\u00a0prosecutors froze Dragnea’s assets<\/a>\u00a0amid a probe into the misuse of \u20ac21 million ($25 million) in European Union funds.<\/p>\n

The European Anti-Fraud Office<\/a>, OLAF<\/a>, said that money from the European Regional Development Fund<\/a> for road construction was fraudulently paid to officials. It asked the government to recover the funds. Dragnea has denied the charges.<\/p>\n

dm\/aw (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)<\/p>\n

Romanians protest against corruption once again<\/h3>\n

This material belongs to: Euronews<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Romania to protest a plan to overhaul the justice system.<\/p>\n