JusMin Toader says not consulted on possible ordinance to amend criminal codes

Justice Minister Tudorel Toader said on Monday he was not consulted on a possible emergency ordinance amending the criminal codes.

"I have been out of Bucharest for four days, five days. No such debate has been done with me. If I am asked, then I will respond and, please, agree that I do not answer hypothetical questions," Toader said at the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice.

In Suceava on Saturday, Toader avoided commenting on any possible support on his part for the Government taking responsibility or passing emergency ordinances to amend the criminal codes, following statements made on Friday by national leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), major at rule, Liviu Dragnea that the parliamentary procedures are cumbersome, the majority coalition's actions are blocked by challenges, and the way adopted to have a debate in Parliament was wrong.

At the same time, Toader said that dozens of articles were declared unconstitutional when the criminal codes were adopted by the government taking responsibility or amended under emergency ordinances.

He mentioned that on August 18, 2017, the government approved a bill released by the Ministry of Justice for the amendment of the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to align the provisions of the two codes with the Constitutional Court's relevant rulings and to transpose to Romania's legislation of two European directives: a directive on extended powers of confiscation and another on the presumption of innocence. AGERPRES (RO - author: Florin Marin, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)