The decision adopted by the House of Deputies on Wednesday - to block the criminal investigation for corruption acts against former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase and former Transport Minister Miron Mitrea - as well as the conflict in Georgia make most of the headlines on Thursday.
Former PM Adrian Nastase will not be investigated for his deeds as long as he is still a deputy, the House of Deputies decided on Wednesday, with 120 votes in favor of the investigation and 150 against (218 votes in favor were required). In the case of former Transport Minister Miron Mitrea, the votes were 160 in favor of the investigation and 115 against.
The reaction of the two deputies was completely different. While Nastase seemed to enjoy it, once again claiming that the file against him was put up for political pressure, Mitrea announced that he will resign from the Parliament in the first day of the next session, so that he could answer all matters in the file regarding him.
"The conscience made Social - Democrats protect their colleagues", Evenimentul Zilei comments on the situation. "The Parliament defends Mitrea and Nastase, leaving us second-hand Europeans", is the title in Cotidianul, adding that the decision "reduces the chances to see the humiliating Justice monitoring process imposed by the European Union lifted". "Parliament, a new detergent brand - Nastase and Mitrea, brighter, whiter", is the title in Gandul, while Romania Libera notes that the deputies hid behind the secret vote procedure.
Also in Romania Libera, a recently burst scandal makes its way to the front page: the procedures to name chef-prosecutors are in discussion. Liberals, Social - Democrats, Hungarian Democrats and Conservatives (allies for the future Government) want to modify the law, so that the chief prosecutors would be named by the Supreme Council of Magistra
