Romanian professor Marius Balo, released from the penitentiary after executing 8 years of prison in China, announced that he cannot return home for the moment, as he is stuck in Shanghai, city that is under complete lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The information appears in a letter of thanks from Marius Balo to Minister of Justice, Catalin Predoiu.
"My name is Marius Balo. I am the man from Cluj who was incarcerated in Shanghai for 8 years. I was released on March 27, yet I am still in Shanghai, as the city has entered a complete lockdown. Two flights have already been canceled, but the people back home managed to acquire a new ticked for April 20 with touchdown in Bucharest on the 21st. I hope with all my heart that this flight will not be canceled. I want to use this opportunity to thank you, for being involved in the efforts to bring me home. God knows I am not worthy of the beautiful words those in the press said about me and I am not mirrored by the characterization of good and honest man they did of me (...) I hope I will have the opportunity at some point to thank you personally, because you were involved for me," wrote Marius Balo to Predoiu, Agerpres.ro informs.
It is for the second time the Romanian professor is stuck in China due to the pandemic.
Thus, in January 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania obtained, following legal and diplomatic demarches, the agreement of the Chinese authorities regarding the transfer of Marius Balo from a Shanghai penitentiary to continue his sentence in Romania.
His transfer never took place two year ago, the Chinese side invoking reasons relating to measures to combat the pandemic.
Later, in November 2020, Catalin Predoi invoked "the terrible misfortune" that the Romanian professor had, as the procedures for his transfer to the country were done, but the borders of the Asian country were closed due to the pandemic.
Marius Balo, professor at Renmin University Beijing and foreign expert in the Beijing XinDongFang (New Oriental) Technology and Education Group, settled in China in 2010, and on March 28, 2014 he was arrested, claim his lawyers, for alleged contract fraud, being accused of receiving 80 dollars from Chinese citizens, without knowing that the sum came from the committing of felonies.
He was convicted on March 24, 2016 to eight years in prison, state the lawyers, on the basis of the testimony of a person he had not seen before and, later, imprisoned in the Maximum Security Penitentiary in Shanghai.