What the newspapers say: March 20, 2008

All major news about Romania refer mainly to corruption. We now have the laws to fight it but, if one takes a better look to the system, that one would see that the problem is with the people who should apply the law. When it comes to international news, the planet’s most powerful, along with the most controversial and with the most feared are in the news: Bush, Osama and Kostunica draw the attention once more upon them.

Romania finally adopted the Justice Reform laws, without which it risks to see the safeguarding clause on Justice activated. The Reform laws consist in a series of three laws: the National Integrity Agency Law (forming an institution able to verify the way dignitaries gained their wealth), the Criminal Procedure Law and the Law for Access to Magistrature, Evenimentul Zilei informs.

A major problem is revealed by Cotidianul, which points at A constitutional Court Judge, Aspazia Cojocaru, who was involved in the 70’s in a network which forged admittance exams in the Law School. A People’s Advocate and a deputy were also part of the network, the newspaper found out.

In Romania Libera, another scandal tends to render the same laws useless, in case it is not solved. The Anti-Graft prosecutors finished documenting the case of frauds during a contest for prosecutors seats in the Romanian Justice. Six people are accused of involvement in the scandal, including a deputy of the former Prosecutor General and a verification commission member. A prosecutor in the Prosecutor General Office is accused of trying to sell the test subjects for 50,000 euro.

Worldwide, it all would seem as a joke, if it were not for real. Romanians still have problems in obtaining visas for the US, but George W. Bush and John McCain have dinner with a Romanian living in the United States without legal papers. Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden wakes up and posts a voice recording, threatening the European Union for re-publishing the controversial Mohammed cardoons. As if he were trying to prove that he has nothing against Muslims, Bush decides to sell weapons and „services” in Kosovo, in order to „strengthen the regional security and promote world peace”.