Criminal file in rem in connection with Traian Basescu's statements that he didn't cooperate with Securitate

The Prosecutor General's Office has opened a criminal case in rem, in which an investigation is being carried out in connection with the statutory declarations by former President Traian Basescu that he did not cooperate with the former Securitate communist secret police, according to AGERPRES.

According to the Prosecutor General's Office, in this case it was ordered to start the criminal prosecution in rem in terms of committing the offence of false declarations.

The dossier was opened following a complaint made by the Political Investigation Group (GIP) in July 2020, which complained that Traian Basescu provided statutory declarations that he had not collaborated with Securitate when he ran in the 2004 and 2009 presidential elections, the 2016 parliamentary elections and the 2019 European Parliament elections.

On 20 September, the Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled that Traian Basescu had cooperated with the communist Securitate secret police, and a court action brought by CNSAS (National Council for the Study of Securitate Archives, ed. n.) had been admitted. The court's decision is not final.

According to CNSAS, former President Traian Basescu gave informative notes that would have led to keeping a colleague from the Navy in the country.

From the documents filed in court by CNSAS it comes out that Basescu had a connecting officer appointed by the former Securitate, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and that he gave two handwritten briefing notes.

According to CNSAS, during the collaboration with Securitate, Traian Basescu provided information that reported activities against the totalitarian communist regime, such as the intention to go abroad and relations with foreign citizens, existing in the information notes given on May 5, 1975.

"Looking at the information provided by the defendant, we consider that it concerns the improvement of the right to private life (art. 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) and the right to freedom of movement (art. 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," CNSAS claimed.

According to the Council, following one of Traian Basescu's briefing notes on a colleague, the Securitate negatively endorsed the latter's appointment on Romanian ships traveling outside the country's borders.