"I think the Parliament took the right decision not to incriminate what is being discussed in the press and I hope that this legal provision be voted by Parliament to take effect, especially because I think that there are all sorts of situations coming up that no one desires. Yesterday, the judiciary delivered a certain decision (that Ponta will not be investigated for plagiarism – editor’s note), the High Court, which was highly criticized by the press of Mr. Basescu and I would not want this to be considered a crime, on the contrary. I believe that the press freedom must operate when the judiciary is being criticized the that they did not convict me. Politicians and I have an obligation never to comment on the judiciary’s decisions, and I understood it, but the press must be free, so I think the president was wrong to have resent the draft law to the Parliament, "Ponta said in a press conference with his Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama.
In turn, the Albanian Prime Minister commented the answer of his Romanian counterpart, too: "The laws that you vote now in Romania we have voted them long ago in Albania," Rama said, and part of the assistance broke into laughter.
President Băsescu sent the Parliament a request for reexamination whereby he called for the incrimination of deeds provided in article 276 of the Criminal Code to be kept.
Article 276 of the new Penal Code, entitled "Pressures on Justice ', provides:" Any person who, during a judicial proceeding, makes false public statements related to a judge or a prosecutor who allegedly committed a crime or serious misconduct actions related to the handling of the said cases in order to influence or intimidate, is punished with imprisonment from three months to one year or a fine. "