IGPR's Dragan: Diana Sosoaca claimed Italian journalists had drugs; accusations not confirmed

Romanian Police spokesman Georgian Dragan told a news conference on Wednesday about the conflict between Diana Sosoaca and the Italian journalists, that the Senator had complained that the foreign journalists had stolen documents from her law firm and that they allegedly had drugs in their possession, aspects that were not confirmed after the verifications performed by the authorities, agerpres reports.

Dragan presented the film of the events of December 10, mentioning that Diana Sosoaca went, alongside her husband, Dumitru Silvestru Sosoaca, to the Police station where the Italian journalists were brought, where she said she was going to file a criminal complaint against them for committing several crimes, among which possibly stealing documents from her law firm and having drugs in their possession.

"Given the mentioned aspects, according to the legal procedures in force, the police had the obligation to carry out a brief body check and also to check the luggage of the journalists, during which procedure they didn't find the supposed stolen documents or any prohibited substances, so that the accusations resulted to be unfounded, Georgian Dragan explained.

According to him, the verifications revealed that the journalists intended to leave the office, a context in which Sosoaca seems to have closed the door and forced them to stay until the police arrived.

The IGPR spokesman added that in the four minutes between the moment when the Senator called 112 and until the arrival of the police, the journalists and Sosoaca had a heated discussion, the scandal continuing even after the arrival of the law enforcement officers.

"The appellant's husband allegedly pushed and grabbed a police officer by the neck and also hit the Italian journalist. Immediately after that, after the intervention, the journalists came out on the staircase of the building, and the conflict ended," Dragan said.

Dumitru Silvestru Sosoaca is being prosecuted by the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Capital City District 1 Court, under judicial control, for assault, being accused of hitting a police officer.

Senator Diana Sosoaca called 112 on December 10, during an interview she gave to a foreign television team, following a conflict triggered by the questions asked.

According to prosecutors, Section 4 police officers went to the location, where the Senator's husband assaulted one of the officers.

Dumitru Sosoaca was summoned on Monday to the headquarters of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the District 1 Court, where he was informed that he was placed under judicial control, for a period of 60 days, being prosecuted for assault.

Diana Sosoaca was also in front of the Prosecutor's Office on Monday, together with several supporters, the latter having altercations with the journalists in front of the Prosecutor's Office.