US ambassador to Romania on the new ANI Law: A big disappointment which will substantially weaken ANI

The new ANI Law adopted on Wednesday is a big disappointment, which will weaken ANI , US ambassador to Romania Mark Gitenstein believes, quoted by AFP Romania. One of the countries with the most damaging corruption practices in the EU has „diluted” the strength of its integrity agency, Reuters reads on the newly adopted ANI law, tagged by the AFP as „controversial”.

Mark Gitenstein noted that the Senate has made some changes which were not requested in the Constitutional Court’s decision and, according to him, these changes will weaken ANI’s substantially and senselessly. „It is a big disappointment”, he added, stressing that the agency had an essential role for the integrity of the political process.

According to Transparency International, quoted by Reuters, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece have got the worst corruption practices in the EU. Horia Georgescu, ANI general secretary, told Reuters that come the new rules, citizens can no longer assess the wealth of politicians. „Brussels will certainly notice this”, Gerorgescu said.

Associated Press, quoted by MSN News, mentions the fact that the agency is criticised for inefficiency, in an attempt to prove it is rather preoccupied by corruption instead of fighting against it.

The Romanian Senate adopted yesterday a new law for the organisation and functioning of the National Integrity Agency (ANI), after the Constitutional Court decided that to publish the wealth statements was a violation of the privacy. One of the most significant alterations the initial law suffered entails that the politicians in public roles that fill in the wealth and/or interest statement incorrectly are no longer held responsible by the penal law. The law was voted with 92 votes in favour, one against and one abstention.