PSD's Dragnea on letter from Timmermans: None of the articles in law adopted by Parliament are unconstitutional

Speaker of the Deputies' Chamber Liviu Dragnea has stated that none of the articles recently adopted by Parliament in the justice laws violates "such principles or existing articles of the Criminal Codes" in the EU states. When he was asked on Monday evening in an interview with Antena 3 television station about the letter sent by Frans Timmermans regarding the rule of law in Romania, Dragnea stated: "We received it at the Deputies' Chamber today and I asked my colleagues to look, Mr Iordache and the other colleagues in the Legal Committee. And I was right with what I said a few days ago that the main topic approached by Iohannis with his masters was to release something again soon against Romania, to help him in the electoral campaign." While mention was made that Timmermans belongs to the PES (Party of European Socialists), the political family of PSD (Social Democratic Party), the Social Democratic leader said: "When did Frans Timmermas ever help PSD? Let's be serious." "None of the articles in the law adopted by Parliament is unconstitutional, there is no coma that is different from the principles of the respective countries [EU states - editor's note]," he added. Dragnea also said "everything that Iohannis does not like (regarding the justice laws - editor's note) becomes inopportune," when asked if Timmermans found some of the articles in the law on justice modified by the majority in the Bucharest Parliament is inopportune. "Everything that I saw Iohannis screaming about I also saw coming from Brussels. Not once, not twice, but numerous times. This is the main problem. None of the articles, I repeat this, in the law adopted by Parliament violate the principles or articles existing in the criminal codes of the respective countries, perfect rule of law. And I saw no reaction in The Netherlands, the home of Mr Timmermans, related to the billions of dollars coming from Russia to be washed in the Dutch banks. What did the prosecutors do there in the end? They made a deal with the banks. How is the rule of law observed? I mean, the billions from Russia being washed in their banks don't matter there," said Dragnea. The European Commission on Monday confirmed that First Vice-President Frans Timmermans on Friday sent a letter to the Romanian authorities showing concerns for the developments regarding the rule of law in Romania. The letter was addressed to President Klaus Iohannis, Senate President Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, Speaker of the Deputies' Chamber Liviu Dragnea, and PM Viorica Dancila, as the EC spokesperson Margaritis Schinas told a press conference. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Antonia Nita; EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)