Bucharest Mayor Gabriela Firea points to attempted scapegoating of Prefect

Bucharest General Mayor Gabriela Firea said on Tuesday, upon leaving the General Prosecutor's Office, that attempts were made to scapegoat the Prefect in connection with August 10 violence, but the investigation will reveal the truth. 

"I think attempts were made to scapegoat the Prefect, but the investigation will reveal - I am subjective at this point - that there is nothing to blame her for, the more so as, as far as we know, there was no way for Mrs. Prefect to have access to classified military intelligence and military orders. Since she had been just freshly appointed to the position, three weeks before, she didn't even have the permit from the National Registry Office for Classified Information (ORNISS) to access to such information; Mrs. Cliseru had taken over as Prefect only on July 5. Therefore, she did nothing else but countersign the order, according to the law, at the request of the Gendarmerie representative who was there, in the intelligence management room near Victoriei Square, not write the order which had already been put down by the representative of the Gendarmerie, because these are the requirements of the law," said the City Mayor. 

Mayor Firea added that she had no knowledge from official sources about violence breaking out at the August 10 rally.