"Power can corrupt", a statement as old as politics is the subject of an opinion article published on EurActiv.com, an independent media portal fully dedicated to EU issues.
The article by Sabina Iosub, Antena 3 producer talks about a prehistoric phenomenon when tribal leaders for a better portion of food, would offer a place nearer to the fire, a phenomenon that certainly is no stranger to Romanians. Thus, under the title "Corruption is not an abstract thing in Romania", the author talks about the different approaches to this problem in old and new Member States of the European Union and provides examples of how our country is engaged in the anti-corruption fight.
The difference between old and new Europeans is given by courage. The old Europeans are getting slower at hunting down corruption and deal with it when it involves political powers. On the other hand, the new Europeans deal with it on a theoretical level being gentle while part of it and aggressive after losing it”, EurActiv.com, reports.
For example, the convictions in court of Liberal officials Chiuariu and Fenechiu who were found guilty after investigations started long before the USL won the elections "could not manage to persuade the public opinion of the indubitable judicial evidence and left the door open for speculations about political retaliation”.
If in Germany President Christian Wuff lost his office as a result of some investigations while the Spain royal family woke up with the prosecutors at their doors, in Romania, the anti-corruption fight is focused on all in theory, but in reality it only targets the opposition “The perception created here is that power means the president, beneficiary of a long double term, while the opposition is the rest of the world, including governmental parties”, the article argues.
The author gives the example of Adrian Năstase as depicting well enough the situation when a politician loses power and immunity, and especially when " the legal evidence loses ground in the battle with the decision of setting an example.”
Another idea is that the Romanian magistrates lack the courage to fight against a state official, the case of Gala Bute was tried after the former minister was no longer part of the government and his party went into opposition.
As for the investigation of the President of Romania, "it is out of the question," says Sabina Iosub offering several examples of dirty business deals conducted by Basescu, including the Gazprom transactions scandal in Romania , transactions carried out through the notary public office led by the president's daughter nor about the acquisition of 291 hectares of arable land with a loan of 1 million euros from CEC bank.
The author concludes that " The only chance for Romania is to start fighting corruption from ground zero. But this requires information and mobilization of simple citizens - which is not simple at all.".
Read the whole article on EurActiv.com.
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