Romania justice minister quits over anti-graft law protests
Source: Associated Press
Romania justice minister quits over anti-graft law protests
ALISON MUTLER
Feb. 9, 2017 2:11 PM EST
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) Romania's justice minister resigned Thursday following mass protests over a law that eases criminal penalties for government officials engaged in corruption.
Minister Florin Iordache defended his tenure and the emergency decree that reduced penalties for corruption, saying all his initiatives were "legal and constitutional" but had failed to placate "public opinion."
Romania's two-month-old Social Democrat-led coalition government withdrew the contentious decree this week to decriminalize some forms of official misconduct after hundreds of thousands protested for days in cities around Romania.
Protesters said the measure dilutes the anti-corruption fight that has targeted Romania's rich and powerful.
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