Ex-PM Roman reacts to PG's request to prosecute him, argues he had no authority at the time of events

Former Prime Minister Petre Roman came out to say that the request of Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar to start criminal investigation against him in the December 1989 Revolution case is "outrageous" and "extremely surprising", arguing that in the respective period he had no capacity whatsoever to be able to influence military actions.

"What drives me is primarily a feeling of outrage and total surprise, because I have absolutely nothing to do with this. Whereas there have been military actions in those days, what capacity did I have to influence such actions? Absolutely none! I was a nobody at that time. I held no office whatsoever, it was only on December 27 that I became Romania's Prime Minister. This for the first point. Secondly, there have been military actions and, for instance, on the evening of December 21 I was one of the survivors of a military crackdown. 39 comrades were killed in University Square, others died in Timisoara. How can all these military operations where I could have easily lost my life be correlated in any way with what the request for criminal prosecution states? This is why I say it's totally outrageous and even absurd, unless this is a huge manipulation, because I had no capacity whatsoever to intervene in any way in the military orders that led to the harrowing events, to the tragedy of those killed, particularly the deaths before December 22 but also after December 22, 1989. I don't see any mention of a criminal investigation against those inside the military units who issued the orders that led to the said military actions. I personally had no authority. Who, if anyone, would have listened, and to whom? To the orders of participant in the Revolution? I insist and state it clearly that I categorically reject this request which I consider extremely surprising, not to say highly dubious as regards its motivations," Petre Roman told AGERPRES.

Pointing out that he had no capacity whatsoever to give orders at that time, he went on to say: "Do you know how many members we were in the National Salvation Front Council that was set up back then?! (...) About 37, and anyway the Council had no capacity at that time to give orders. The orders were given by the organisations in power - the Ministry of Defence in the first place, the Ministry of the Interior or whatever other agencies. How was I connected to these agencies? In no way. What was my capacity to influence them? Absolutely none," Roman said, reminding also that he testified twice at the Military Prosecutor's Office.

Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar on Monday referred to President Klaus Iohannis the request to start prosecuting former President Ion Iliescu, former PM Petre Roman and Gelu Voican Voiculescu - a high-profile character during the Revolution and Deputy PM in the Petre Roman government, for crimes against humanity, the Prosecution Office attached to the Supreme Court of Justice and Cassation announced.AGERPRES(RO - author: Florentina Peia, editor: Andreea Rotaru; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Maria Voican)