Kelemen Hunor: No blockage in coalition, we support SIIJ abolition; mistakes of past musn't be repeated

Deputy Prime Minister Kelemen Hunor, the chair of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) stated on Wednesday that there is no blockage within the governing coalition on the topic of the dismantlement of the Section for the Investigation of Judicial Crimes (SIIJ) and added that he expects the Senate to be convoked in extraordinary session on the topic, the law being already on the agenda. "I don't see any blockage. (...) We have a single vote and I am speaking about an amendment that says that magistrates will be investigated by an existing section, nothing is abolished, nothing is established, it's an existing department of the General Prosecutor's Office - the criminal investigation and criminology department, our proposal is not to repeat the mistakes of the past, not to make another mistake, another department, the magistrates to be investigated by that department. (...) Surely, in the Judiciary Committee this amendment may pass or not. In case it does pass the Judiciary Committee, it goes to the Senate's vote. If it fails, we will support the option of the Government. If it passes, then certainly another procedure will follow, as we are speaking of a bicameralism issue (...) Otherwise, there is no blockage, we are for abolishing the SIIJ and I asked the Senate be convoked as quickly as possible. (...) I have no disputes, neither with the Justice Minister, nor anyone else, I would like to abolish the department next week," Kelemen Hunor mentioned, after participating in the a meeting of the governing coalition. The UDMR leader recalled that he supports the amendment submitted by the Parliamentary group of the Union. "Whoever wants, votes, whoever wants, does not vote. There is no rift in the coalition, we agree with the abolishing of the SIIJ. This amendment was not subjected to a vote. (...) We collaborate well with the Justice Minister, I understand his position, he isn't alone in the coalition and doesn't have the possibility to decide on important matters," Kelemen Hunor added. Justice Minister Stelian Ion stated, after participating in the governing coalition sitting, that the coalition is running extraordinarily well, except in the Justice chapter, and that the UDMR is not respecting the governing programme. "The coalition is working extraordinarily well, less on the judiciary. The National Liberal Party and USR PLUS share the same opinion on this chapter, as we plan to call an extraordinary session next week to dissolve the Section for the Investigation of Judicial Crimes (SIIJ) and restore powers, as per the Venice Commission's recommendation and the government's bill. Yet the UDMR has a different opinion. I find it totally unacceptable that UDMR does not respect the governing program, as it attempts to somehow deceive the electorate by pretending to dismantle the SIIJ but restoring it as a section of the General Prosecutor's Office. We cannot just pretend to respect the governing program," said Stelian Ion.(RO - author: Catalina Matei, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - author: Razvan-Adrian Pandea, editor: Simona Iacob)

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