Romanian Senator rejects president's accusations of acting against national interests in National Integrity Agency case

Romanian Senator Gyorgy Frunda of the Hungarian Democrats group (UDMR) rejected in an interview for Radio France Internationale Romania on Friday the accusations made by President Traian Basescu on Thursday that he acted against the interests of Romania when he supported changes to a law on the functioning of the National Integrity Agency (ANI). The Senate recently adopted the changes supported by Frunda, which have been criticized for stripping ANI – a key body in the fight against corruption, charged with keeping in check the wealth of public officials – of most of its powers.

President Traian Basescu said in an interview with the public television on Thursday night that Senator Gyorgy Frunda was acting against the interests of the country with his support of ammendments to the ANI law, which stripped the Agency of most of its powers.

Frunda said in an inverview with RFI Romania on Friday that his position was in the interest of Romania „because my obligation was to comply with the Constitution and with the laws of the country”. He said all he supported was in compliance with the Constitution and the European Convention of Human Rights and did not stripped ANY of any power it had so far.

And he pointed out 115 Senators voted for the law, not Frunda himself.