Romania's reformist party USR notifies EC about prosecutors' investigations into COVID vaccine procurement

Romania's reformist party USR announced it sent an official letter to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, related to the investigations launched by the anticorruption prosecutors (DNA) on the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021. USR claims that DNA is "politically captured," G4media.ro reported.

USR president Catalin Drula previously stated that the case is "politically convenient" as it hits the main opposition party ahead of multiple elections in 2024.

The investigation, USR argues, "undermine the separation of powers in the state, the principles of democracy and European cohesion." The file concerns former ministers of health Vlad Voiculescu (USR) and Ioana Mihăilă (REPER, USR while in office), former prime minister Florin Cîțu (PNL) and former secretary of state Andrei Baciu (PNL).

DNA prosecutors claim that the procedures for the procurement of vaccines were not followed and calculated damages to the state budget of EUR 1 billion.

USR accuses the investigations are "worrying and unjustified actions of a prosecutor, respectively of the chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in Romania [...] despite the lack of evidence or reasonable suspicion of corruption".

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)