USR demands JusMin Toader's resignation, to table simple motion first day of Parliament session

Save Romania Union (USR, opposition) Deputy Stelian Ion on Tuesday announced in front of the Ministry of Justice that his party has demanded the resignation of Justice Minister Tudorel Toader, and that his party will table a simple motion at the beginning of this parliamentary session, a release by USR sent to AGERPRES informs. 

'We made that assessment of the Justice Minister and found he is a mark 4 [equivalent of E, ed. n.] minister. Therefore, we have bluntly demanded he should resign from this position. We have explained why we have come to this conclusion, of a mark 4 minister, saying that he has promoted certain pieces of legislation that are criticized by most of the Romanian magistrates, by the Venice Commission, by the European Commission, by the GRECO. He has promoted a text of the abuse of office that serves the criminals' interests. He has repeatedly lied when saying that was not the form for the abuse of office and that he has not excluded the third parties from the text of this piece of regulation. He has lied when he said he didn't know about the December 2016 protocol and was demonstrated with papers that he did know. He was criticized several times by the Superior Council of Magistracy [CSM, ed. n.] for his irresponsible statements at the justice system,' the deputy said. 

'Minister Tudorel Toader is a hazard to the rule of law and to the normal activity of the judiciary, therefore his urgent resignation is paramount,' the deputy pointed out. 

Stelian Ion added that he has not discussed yet with other political parties about the simple motion, only inside his party. 

According to the source, Tudorel Toader became a submissive tool of Popescu-Tariceanu (Senate's President, ed. n.) and Dragnea (Chamber's Speaker, ed. n.) and endangers the judiciary's stability and independence. 

'By kicking off the procedure of revoking the Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar, Tudorel Toader wishes to halt the investigation started by the General Prosecutor's Office on the repression of 10 August [when a rally of the Diaspora and Romanians inside the country took place in the Victoriei Square, ed. n.] and bury the truth regarding the political responsibility for the gassing, hitting and injuring of the peaceful protesters. There is no other explanation to the fact that the Justice Minister, who has already known about the protocols between the SRI [Romanian Intelligence Service, ed. n.] and the General Prosecutor's Office, is only using them now, as a motive for the so-called assessment of the Prosecutor General's activity. The explanation offered today [Tuesday, ed. n.] by Tudorel Toader is ludicrous: that they were secret until Liviu Dragnea and Darius Valcov [Prime Minister's adviser, in a first court sentenced to 8-year imprisonment for influence peddling, pending appeal, ed. n.] talked about them! Once again, the Justice Minister is lying to serve the PSD-ALDE [ruling coalition alliance made up of the Social Democratic Party, PSD, major, and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, ALDE, minor] interests!" the USR release reads. 

USR says that 'all of the diplomas and professional merits count for nothing and do not compensate for the lack of character and the ill intent of the most despicable Justice Minister from the communist dictatorship on.' 

According to the communique, several representatives of the USR wished to participate on Tuesday in the news conference of the Justice Minister so as to demand the resignation of Tudorel Toader, but say they, Toader 'would have given the order for them not to be allowed to enter the building.'