Giuliani Criticizes an Anticorruption Crackdown in Romania.
(GREAT headline, eh?)
BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania, long considered one of the most corrupt states in the European Union, has made energetic efforts to root out graft, entangling prominent lawmakers, raising concerns about the rule of law and prompting rallies by tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of protesters.
Now, unexpectedly, Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s personal attorney, has waded into the debate, sending a letter to Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, criticizing the country’s anticorruption efforts.
The letter, dated Aug. 22, expressed concern about the “continuing damage to the rule of law being done under the guise of effective law enforcement” in Romania. Mr. Giuliani wrote that an amnesty should be given to those who had been convicted in the crackdown, citing the “excesses” of the country’s anticorruption agency.
The letter prompted a raft of comment after it was published in the Romanian news media this week. Its authenticity has not been challenged.
Romania, which joined the European Union in 2007, has been praised for its efforts to rein in graft in recent years, a drive that has resulted in thousands of convictions, including of former and current politicians.
Mr. Giuliani said on Wednesday that despite representing Mr. Trump he was “still an independent lawyer and consultant.” He said the work involving Romania was through his security company, Giuliani Security & Safety, which had been retained by Freeh Group International Solutions, a security company run by Louis J. Freeh, a former director of the F.B.I.
“It has nothing to do with the U.S. government,” Mr. Giuliani said, referring to the Romania letter. “I advise on security, law enforcement and terrorism in many different countries. Private lawyers for the president have all had private practices.”
The Freeh Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Mr. Freeh’s company is known to be representing a Romanian businessman, Gabriel Popoviciu, who was sentenced to seven years in prison in August 2017 in a case centered on a real-estate deal in northern Bucharest.
Criticizing the conviction last year, Mr. Freeh said the decision against Mr. Popoviciu was “not supported by either the facts or the law.”'>>>
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/world/europe/giuliani-romania-corruption.html?
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