Basescu Summoned To Appear In Court After He Sued Opposition MP

04.27.2011 By Ioana Tudor

A Bucharest court on Wednesday summoned President Traian Basescu to appear in court on May 18, in a case in which the head of state sued opposition social democrat MP Mugurel Surupaceanu who accused the Government and the Presidency of supporting the use of recreational drugs.

A Bucharest court on Wednesday summoned President Traian Basescu to appear in court on May 18, in a case in which the head of state sued opposition social democrat MP Mugurel Surupaceanu who accused the Government and the Presidency of supporting the use of recreational drugs.

Surupaceanu told MEDIAFAX Wednesday the court ruled in favor of his request to order the president to appear in court.

The social democrat MP told a news conference in February last year that some ruling Democratic Liberal Party interest groups were directly involved in businesses concerning recreational drugs.

He said the Government led by Prime Minister Emil Boc issued an emergency ordinance banning the use and sale of psychoactive plants and substances, allowing recreational drug store owners to destroy drug stocks themselves. The MP argued this gave psychoactive drug sellers the opportunity to sell their products on the black market.

Following Surupaceanu's accusations, the head of state sued the social democrat MP demanding symbolic damages of 1 leu (about EUR0.25).

(EUR1=RON 4.0735)