Senate passed EO 29/2001

The Defence Panel of the Senate yesterday slightly changed and passed Emergency Ordinance 29/2001, which enables UM 0962 of the Interior Ministry to use undercover officers.

After the Grecea scandal, highlighting the activity of UM 0962 from Neamt county, the opposition parties, Romania’s President and the PDSR-led commission for supervising the activity of SRI, criticised the Ordinance.

The Defence Panel from the Senate specified that SRI may send undercover officers in missions only with the agreement of the Prosecutor’s Office within the Supreme Court of Justice and not just with the agreement of the Interior minister, as ordinance 29 formerly stipulated.

The main critics were aimed against the Information Unit’s possibility to use both undercover agents and “specific surveillance equipment.” Under this draft law, natural and legal persons had to supply MI with information, data and documents helping this department’s activity.