CNSAS file-Israescu/BNR governor, defended in court by Valeriu Stoirca; Piperea wants to be part in the trial

The Bucharest Court of Appeal on Friday started the debates in the process in which CNSAS (National Council for the Study of Security Archives) asks judges to establish the capacity of Securitate [former political police of the communist regime - editor's note] collaborator in the case of BNR (National Bank of Romania) governor Mugur Isarescu.

The BNR governor did not show up for this first trial, being represented by his lawyer, Valeriu Stoica, former chairman of PNL (National Liberal Party) and former Minister of Justice in the Isarescu Government (December 1999 - December 2000).

Valeriu Stoica stated that there are many documents from the CNSAS in this file that are not legible, and the judge dealing with this case ordered the remedy of this problem.

Lawyer Gheorghe Piperea submitted a request to be accepted as a party in the trial on behalf of the "Parakletos" Association, but the court decided to postpone the debates for October 30, in order for the parties to take note of this request.

Gheorghe Piperea is the one who notified CNSAS about the possible collaboration of the BNR governor with the former Securitate.

In the request sent to the court, CNSAS claims that the governor Mugur Isarescu acted as an informant between 1979 and 1989, providing the former Securitate with information denouncing activities contrary to the totalitarian communist regime, such as negative comments on living standards in Romania.