FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF RESIGNS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUCHAREST 000322

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/NCE AARON JENSEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2017
TAGS: PGOV PINR KCOR RO
SUBJECT: FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF RESIGNS


Classified By: Polcouns Theodore Tanoue for 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (SBU) The head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE),
Claudiu Saftoiu, resigned March 19, following his
controversial testimony last week before the special
parliamentary committee to investigate the president for
abuse of constitutional authority. PC President Dan
Voiculescu, who chairs the special investigating committee,
wrote to the speakers of the two Chambers of the Parliament
on March 15 suggesting that there may have been a serious
infringement of law and a violation of civil rights by the
SIE. According to transcripts of his testimony published on
March 19, Saftoiu reportedly acknowledged that the SIE--with
the authorization of prosecutors--illegally monitored and
taped private domestic conversations. (Note: Under Romanian
law, only the Domestic Intelligence Service (SRI) can monitor
private conversations, after obtaining a bench warrant from a
competent judge and based on probable cause.) According to a
published transcript of discussions between Saftoiu and the
members of the special investigating committee, Saftoiu also
did not exclude the possibility that other national security
institutions may have illegally monitored private
conversations.


2. (SBU) Voiculescu admitted that this issue exceeded the
scope of his special parliamentary committee to investigate
the evidence to suspend the president, and that his committee
was only notifying Parliament their concerns in the hope that
Parliament would take the necessary steps to address these
possible violations of the law. Subsequently, following
Saftoiu's resignation, Parliament announced on March 19 the
formation of a new joint special investigating committee to
look into issues raised by Saftoiu's testimony and the
allegations of abuse and illegal actions by Romanian
intelligence and national security services. Part of this
new joint committee's mandate will be to investigate which
institutions have the technical means to monitor
communications and how these capabilities are used.


3. (SBU) Following his testimony last week, Saftoiu
attempted to explain in a press interview that he was
misquoted and that his statements were simply abbreviated
remarks about the complex procedure necessary for obtaining
authorization to monitor private conversations; he said that
his mistake lay in not going into details during the
hearings. He acknowledged that the taping authorization is
given by a judge and is conducted by the SRI which only
reports its findings to SIE.


4. (C) Comment: A senior PSD contact had told us last week
that while Voiculescu's investigation of the charges against
the President for abuse of office had run its course (and
would duly submit a report to Parliament on March 21),the
PSD was now pushing for the creation of a separate new
committee to investigate charges that the SIE had abused its
authorities in monitoring private conversations. This is
consonant with the opposition strategy of weakening President
Basescu since it would put one of his few explicit
constitutionally-mandated authorities under new scrutiny.
Saftoiu's resignation appears to be the first casualty of
this effort to open up a new front against the President.
Saftoiu's wife, Adriana, is one of the President's closest
advisors so the political embarrassment will inevitably
splatter on Basescu. The fledgling spymaster reportedly did
not distinguish himself in his new role as SIE director, and
his name also cropped up in January press accounts that
accused Saftoiu of having used his influence to improve a
road leading to his new country home. Under these
circumstances, the normally combative Basescu may decide not
to rise to this particular new challenge by the opposition.
End Comment.
TAUBMAN