Protests as fashion designer appeals to quash conviction under Romanian ordinance

Protests continued in Romania last night as a fashion designer applied to have her conviction annulled under the terms of a government ruling which would decriminalise fraud in public office, despite the government having repealed the law last week.

Romanians have been protesting for two weeks.

Emergency Ordinance 13, which would allow fraud in public office as long as it was valued at less than £37,000m was repealed by a second ruling - EO14 - after widespread protests broke out across the country. However, the second ruling needs to be approved by the second house in Romania, the Camera Deputatilor.

Now, fashion designer Luiza Cazanescu, who was sentenced in July 2016 by Targoviste Court to three years and two months imprisonment, has challenged the ruling in hope of having her conviction quashed.

The case could test whether EO13 is back on the table for the country, which has been protesting on city streets for two weeks.

Meanwhile, a court hearing began in which one of the country’s most powerful politicians denied putting no-work jobs on the public payroll.

The case against Liviu Dragnea, leader of the ruling Social Democratic Party, stems from his time as a regional party chief.

Prosecutors have alleged Dragnea - who is banned from acting as prime minister due to his conviction and two-year suspended sentence last year on vote-rigging charges - intervened to keep two women who were working for the Social Democratic Party on the payroll of a family welfare agency. The women have pleaded guilty. The next hearing is 28 March.