(Hürriyet Newspaper, 24 June 2015)
Finding solace in Istanbul, no stranger to corruption scandals.
Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta has come to Istanbul
to have a knee operation and take a month's leave, while he is
the subject of a corruption investigation in Romania.
According to a report by the Associated Press, Romania's
opposition Liberal Party leader Alina Gorghiu characterized
Ponta as "a coward who doesn't care about Romania's image."
and she accused him of trying to get "medical asylum" in a
country outside the European Union.
Within the scope of the corruption investigation in Romania,
which has been a member of the EU since 2007, many high-
level officials have been arrested in the past 1.5 years. A
vote of confidence was held in parliament on 9 June regarding
Ponta, who is facing charges of falsification, tax evasion,
money laundering and misuse of his office.
Ponta survived the vote of confidence and preserved his
immunity from prosecution. He sent his lawyer to the
prosecutor yesterday to learn about the charges against
him. The opposition has accused Ponta of using the knee
operation as a pretext to evade the investigation. He hurt
his knee playing basketball.
According to experts, Ponta, who rejected Romanian
President Klaus Iohannis's request that he resign, is trying
to buy time. He made a request to Iohannis to allow him to
turn over his duties to his deputy Gabriel Oprea on Sunday.
According to the Romanian constitution, the Prime Minister
can use 45 day of medical leave each year. He has had a knee
operation at a private hospital in Bağcılar, Istanbul.
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