Social Democrat head Dragnea: Increasingly more evidence emerges about parallel state's existence

Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and head of the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) Liviu Dragnea said on Monday that after the disclosures aired on the previous evening about the activity of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) and the Ploiesti territorial Service of the said agency, "increasingly more evidence emerges about the existence of the parallel state," and that if this information is proven true, these are "elements of political policing".

"I think what is most important is that the Judicial Inspection has taken action ex-officio, but I think this is not enough, and that an inquest must be promptly initiated to determine whether the disclosures made last evening are true - and they seem to be - and immediate measures must be taken for such practices to never happen again in Romania. If what was publicly aired last night, if previous information broadcast in the past years proves to be true, there are clear elements of political policing in Romania and (...) I don't think this is only about disciplinary offences. If what emerged last night in Mrs. prosecutor Iorga's interview and the disclosures, recordings, after-statements are true, these are extremely serious criminal elements," Dragnea said at the PSD headquarters.

He mentioned that he doesn't know magistrate Mihaiela Iorga Moraru, but that he gives her certain credit.

"She spoke of threats from a certain lady from the Judicial Inspection who told her: don't stand up to the system. We have also adopted a resolution about the parallel state. Increasingly more evidence emerges to support our and media accounts about this system, this parallel state, this mafia that attempts - sometimes successfully - to illegally take hold of power in Romania," said the Social Democrat leader.

Speaking about the alleged request by DNA Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi for proceedings in a criminal case to be sped up or that a case be opened against a certain politician, Dragnea said this is "an illegal and extremely serious interference."AGERPRES(RO - author: Catalina Matei, editor: Andreea Rotaru; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Maria Voican)