Parliament provides immunity for itself

From now on, "MPs are more equal than other elected officials," states Romanian daily Adevărul. On January 22, Romanian senators and deputies approved a bill allowing them to ignore rulings concerning them issued by the country's anti-corruption watchdog, the National Integrity Agency. The new law will apply even if the Agency rules that an MP's legislative mandate is incompatible with another mandate or that a situation in which they find themselves causes a conflict of interest. The MPs will be able to keep their seats until a court rules on their case.

This bill puts deputies and senators in a privileged position relative to all other elected officials, the paper notes. The votes in favour came entirely from the ranks of the ruling coalition, the USL (Social-Liberal Union). For Adevărul –

That elected officials are more equal than the rest of us, the others, is not serious. What is serious is that the discussions, the arguments and the fears express but one thing: the Romanian judiciary is not independent. It seems to be following orders, far from Europe's watchful eye. Its independence is a convention. Everybody knows that in court, people are not equal. The poor, the wretched and the disadvantaged have a greater chance of ending up in prison. [...] Conversely, those privileged by fate enjoy a different regime; different treatment. They wield another kind of power.