President, PM pleading with Malaysian authorities for leniency in case of Romanian handed death

Minister-delegate for Romanians abroad Dan Stoenescu met on Saturday in Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian officials whom he handed, in his capacity as special envoy of President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, official letters from Romania's top dignitaries, calling for leniency in the case of Romanian national Ionut Gologan who was sentenced to death, the Foreign Ministry announced. 

Stoenescu, who is on a working visit to the Asian state to discuss with the authorities the cases of four Romanian citizens arrested for drug trafficking, met with Malaysia's Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and with Hajah Nancy Binti Haji Shukri, Minister in the Department of Malaysia's Prime Minister. 

"Acting as special envoy of President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, the minister-delegate handed the Malaysian side the official letters of the two top Romanian officials who call for leniency in the case of Romanian Ionut Gologan, and plead that his life be spared," reads a release of the Foreign Ministry's Spokesperson and Communication Directorate. 

According to the cited source, during the meeting, the minister-delegate expressed hopes that the other three Romanian citizens will not be handed down the death penalty, and stressed the importance of Romania and Malaysia concluding agreements on cooperation in justice. 

The Romanian official also highlighted the significance of bilateral dialogue between the two countries at political, cultural and educational level. 

Dan Stoenescu also visited on Friday the Sungai Buloh prison where he discussed jail conditions with one of the detained Romanian citizens, and how his case moves forward. The minister-delegate also met on Friday in Kuala Lumpur with members of the Romanian community in Malaysia. AGERPRES