MFA Press Release: Transcript of Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo's replies to the Parliamentary Question and Supplementary Questions, 18 May 2010

TRANSCRIPT OF MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS GEORGE YEO'S REPLY TO THE PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS, 18 MAY 2010
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QUESTION:

MR MICHAEL ANTHONY PALMER: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs in light of the lack of progress in the prosecution of the former Romanian diplomat Dr Silviu Ionescu, whether the Ministry will consider severing diplomatic ties with Romania.

MS IRENE NG PHEK HOONG: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) if stern measures, including a review of bilateral ties, can be taken against Romania to register Singapore's strong protest against Romania's handling of the case involving its former diplomat Silviu Ionescu; and (b) given that Romania is a member of the European Union (EU), whether EU can also be involved in holding Romania to its international obligations.

REPLY:

Mr Speaker, Sir,

1 Singapore's consistent position has been that the Romanian Government should persuade Dr Ionescu to return to Singapore to stand trial here. But if this is not possible, the Romanian Government should expeditiously investigate and prosecute Dr Ionescu under Romanian law.

2 In other words, the key point is that, whether in Singapore or in Romania, Dr Ionescu must be held accountable for his actions. He should not be allowed to evade justice.

3 The Romanian Government has consistently maintained that while it shares our desire to see justice served, it cannot compel Dr Ionescu to return to Singapore as there is no Extradition Treaty between Singapore and Romania.

4 It is a fact that there is no Extradition Treaty. Since in the absence of such a Treaty, it is not possible for the Romanian Government to compel Dr Ionescu to stand trial in Singapore, and since Dr Ionescu has himself made clear in his comments to the Romanian media that he has no intention of voluntarily returning to Singapore, the responsibility now rests with the Romanian Government to carry out investigations expeditiously and to prosecute Dr Ionescu under Romanian law.

5 As I have told Members, the Romanian Government has asked for our cooperation in their investigations, and we will extend the fullest cooperation permissible under our law to the Romanian Government.

6 To this end we have appointed our Ambassador in Brussels as our Special Envoy to underscore the gravity with which the Singapore Government views this case, and to provide whatever assistance the Romanian Government may require and is able to accept under Romanian law.

7 Our Special Envoy and officials from our Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) will visit Bucharest this week. The Romanian Foreign Minister has welcomed the visit and stated that Romania is ready to extend full support to this mission. We have also engaged Romanian counsel to advise us on the workings of the Romanian legal system and to look after our interests.

8 In February this year, the Romanian authorities started criminal investigations against Dr Ionescu on the charges of homicide by negligence, leaving the scene of an accident, and making false statements. He was also suspended from the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

9 On 7 May 2010, the Romanian Prosecutor's Office announced that they have initiated the next phase in the criminal proceedings against Dr Ionescu. We understand that this phase, known in Romanian law as "criminal action", means that the Prosecutor has sufficient basis to link Dr Ionescu to the offences being investigated. Dr Ionescu has been formally identified as a defendant. In addition, the Prosecutor has placed Dr Ionescu under arrest and has obtained a Court order to have Dr Ionescu remanded for an initial period of 29 days. Dr Ionescu's appeal against this was dismissed and the 29 day detention remains in force. We understand that it is possible for the Prosecutor to seek an extension of the detention when the 29 days are up.

10 Mr Speaker, Sir, it would thus be wrong to conclude that there has been no progress in bringing Dr Ionescu to justice. The Romanian legal process has moved into a new phase. The Romanian Government knows that the country's reputation is at stake and has acted properly. The Romanian Foreign Minister himself has personally assured me that they want to see justice served.

11 From what we have read on the Internet, many Romanian citizens also feel that Dr Ionescu has disgraced their country and are deeply ashamed of him. They want their own government to see that justice is served.

12 But it is likely that it will take the Romanian authorities some time to conclude their own legal processes. We are not familiar with the Romanian system and do not know how long their processes will take. Another reason our Special Envoy and AGC officials are visiting Bucharest is to understand the Romanian system better.

13 I understand the frustrations of Singaporeans at the pace at which the wheels of law appear to be grinding. But we must respect Romania's legal processes, which are different from our legal processes, and allow the law to take its course in Romania under their own system. But be assured that the wheels of justice are grinding forward.

14 I should stress to Members, as we have stressed to the Romanian Government, that the appointment of Singapore's Special Envoy and his visit to Bucharest are not a substitute for an early visit to Singapore by the Romanian team for the Joint Technical Working Group that the Romanians had proposed and which we had agreed to. We are ready to receive them as soon as they are ready to visit Singapore.

15 Ms Irene Ng mentioned the EU. The case of Dr Ionescu is, strictly speaking, a bilateral matter between Singapore and Romania. However, as Romania is a member state of the EU, MFA has also been periodically updating the EU Ambassador to Singapore, the Spanish Ambassador to Singapore in his capacity as the current EU Presidency, and European Commission officials in Brussels, on developments in this case. They, no less than the Romanian authorities, are well aware of the outrage that all Singaporeans feel.

16 It is not a coincidence that our Special Envoy on this case is also our Ambassador to the EU. The EU considers itself a "Union of Values" that, among other things, places great store by the rule of law. The EU requires that all its member states subscribe to and uphold the high standards that the EU espouses when they join the EU. The EU Ambassadors and European Commission officials that we have talked to all understand that not only Romania's credibility and reputation is at stake.

17 Last week, I was invited to lunch by the Spanish Ambassador at his residence to meet the EU Heads of Mission. This is part of a regular series that has gone on for some years and we invite each other alternately. This time, it was the EU's turn to invite me. At the cocktail, I could sense palpably the embarrassment and awkwardness felt by the European Union diplomats. As you know, they have a rule in all their foreign missions that the national flags fly side by side with the EU flag. So even though this is strictly speaking, a bilateral matter, there is no doubt that the EU diplomats and the EU governments feel that they have an interest in seeing this case satisfactorily resolved and justice properly served.

18 As I had said before, although we are all impatient to see justice done, now that the Romanian authorities have initiated criminal action against Dr Ionescu, we must allow them reasonable time to go through their own legal processes. At this stage, it would be inappropriate for us to prejudge the outcome or speculate on what we will do if the outcome is not what we would consider satisfactory.

19 I would, however, like to assure Members that the Romanian Government is fully aware that if justice is not done and seen to be done, bilateral relations are bound to be affected. We have the usual range of diplomatic options at our disposal but it would not be appropriate at this stage for me to discuss them in detail.

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TRANSCRIPT OF MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS GEORGE YEO'S REPLIES TO SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS, 18 MAY 2010

SPEAKER: Minister, were you replying to Question 2 also?

MINISTER: Yes, I was replying to both questions.

SPEAKER: Mr Palmer.

MR MICHAEL ANTHONY PALMER (PASIR RIS-PUNGGOL): Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply. May I ask if the Minister would be able to tell us the possible charges that Dr Ionescu could face in Romania, and the possible penalties he might incur if convicted of those charges?

MINISTER: Mr Speaker, Sir, let me be accurate. In February this year, the Romanian authorities started criminal investigations against Dr Ionescu on the charges of homicide by negligence, leaving the scene of an accident, and making false statements. I am not familiar with the stage at which judicial processes are taking place, neither am I familiar with the possible sentences should he be found guilty on those charges.

MS IRENE NG PHEK HOONG (TAMPINES): Sir, I thank the Minister for his reply. Can I ask the Minister if he agrees that, on the part of Singaporeans, it is not so much an impatience, but a need for clarity as well as a need for a clear commitment from Romania that indeed the wheels of justice are grinding forward, and not grinding sideways or grinding in a circular motion, which does not see any clear result at the end of the day? Sir, our concern is really whether Romania takes seriously the need to make sure that Dr Ionescu faces the charges that he deserves to face, that he will be will be brought to justice, and that whatever Romania's justice system may be like, there must be surely some clear landmarks along the way that Romania authorities can let us know. This is so that we know that the wheels of justice are indeed grinding forward.

MINISTER: Mr Speaker, Sir, I cannot, on the basis of what they have done so far and their responses to our requests and applications, come to any conclusion that they are not committed to seeing this case through and in ensuring that justice is done. I mentioned to the House before that, quite by coincidence, I met the Romanian Foreign Minister at the Vatican in the Papal presence and had a pull-aside with him, which he readily agreed to when the request was put to him. He assured me that this matter was receiving the highest attention. When I came back to Singapore, I wrote him a letter to thank him for the meeting and to restate our concerns and our hope that they, on their side, will ensure that the processes are properly adhered to. And he replied to me positively. Subsequently, I asked for his permission to release both letters to the media. They took a while to consider but finally said "yes, release both letters to the media". This was done just a few days ago. So I have no reason to doubt the commitment of the Romanian Government to seeing that justice is done in this case.

SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Irene Ng. Last question. Be brief, please.

MS IRENE NG PHEK HOONG (TAMPINES): Minister, can I ask - since the Romanian authorities have not sent their legal experts to review the evidence against Dr Ionescu in Singapore, can this be read as either lack of urgency or do they not see the necessity for this as soon as possible?

MINISTER: Mr Speaker, Sir, we were told that before they could send their officials to Singapore for the Joint Technical Committee meeting, they needed to obtain certain clearances on their side and there were processes to follow. But this week, our people will be there in Bucharest and they will have meetings. Whether that would, in fact, constitute the first meeting of the Joint Technical Committee remains to be seen. But they have been very helpful in facilitating this visit.

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