PM assures Defense minister of full support

The Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said that the Defense minister Teodor Atanasiu should not resign despite a pending criminal investigation that had been initiated by a presidential counselor against him on grounds of abuse of office. Tariceanu’s statement came in the end of the Liberals meeting on Monday.

The Romanian president Traian Basescu announced last week that he had agreed with the special commission’s recommendation to pursue a criminal investigation against the Liberal Defense minister Teodor Atanasiu accused of abuse of office by a presidential counselor and a Social Democrat deputy.

The presidential counselor Adriana Saftoiu sued Atanasiu following a statement by the Defense minister that had accused Saftoiu of providing the press with dishonouring info about him

HotNews.ro, Sep 11, 2006