Iliescu asks dignitaries to justify wealth

President Ion Iliescu demanded during the talks with PSD (Social Democrat Party) in Snagov that the future law on dignitaries’ wealth stipulate that the financial disclosure statement should include data since 1990. At the same time, all the possessions should be justified, ruling party sources yesterday said.
PSD sources said the President on Tuesday night requested the PSD leaders and the MPs of the party to have the law binding dignitaries to declare wealth and the law on the conflict of interests (supposedly included in the normative act for which the Government is to take responsibility before Parliament on February 19) passed before that date. The head of state, who had insisted that fortunes should be published in the Official Gazette, said the dignitaries had to file financial disclosure statements including details from 1990 onwards and that they had to justify their fortunes.
PSD sources say the President demanded to see the two draft laws before being enacted by Parliament and suggested that in case they were not passed in an appropriate form, he would send them back to Parliament for reconsideration.
After having demanded PSD MPs to step down from managing positions on Monday, the President on Tuesday said the mayors, vice-mayors and party councillors should do the same and give up General Shareholders Assembly and Board of Directors memberships.
The head of state also urged PSD to have the party members with “an altered, stained image” outed from decision-making positions and replaced by credible, incorruptible people so that PSD could drift as far away from the corrupt party tag as possible.
The quoted sources added that part of those attending the meeting kept “vociferating” all through Iliescu’s speech, forcing PM Adrian Nastase to intervene and restore order in the room.
The President told a news conference held at the end of the meeting in Snagov that the “did not miss the opportunity” to renew his request to the PSD MPs to drop positions within corporate Boards of Directors or General Shareholders Assembly. He added he had told the PSD MPs that “those who engage in business should stick to business and those who engage in politics should stick to politics.”
Ion Iliescu also had some economic recommendations to make. According to party sources he said the taxation system should be modified so that taxes would go up to 60%-80% for those with very high incomes. At the same time, the VAT issue should be reconsidered, as it cannot possibly be the same for necessary products and for deluxe products.
Iliescu specified the Government should focus on “sustainable development strategies” distributed over 20-30 years instead of just a few years. In Bucharest’s case this strategy should be devised for 50 years.