Prime Minister Ludovic Orban stated, on Monday, at the Prime Minister's Hour in the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies, on the debate regarding COVID-19 acquisitions, that "the pot, meaning the PSD [Social Democratic Party], is calling the kettle black," mentioning that "any attempt to throw dirt towards him through a ventilator is doomed to failure."

"I admit I did not expect the PSD to open such a subject. Since January 2017, the PSD has started a true battle against the institutions in the field of justice, against the DNA [the National Anticorruption Directorate], against all institutions that were involved in punishing acts of corruption, the slaughtering of the legislation in the field of justice, the slaughtering of the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code, attacks at the Constitutional Court and the blocking in constitutional conflicts that helped people with final court orders, who had been found guilty of having committed acts of corruption, avoid jail. For 3 years, the PNL [National Liberal Party] has fought to defend the right of justice to investigate corruption, defending the citizen from the aggression to which most of the PSD subjected justice and the independence of justice," said Orban.

He referred to the changes of managers of medical units, mentioning that at the Focsani Hospital the manager avoided work and had to be replaced because he was unable to treat patients. Furthermore, the Prime Minister claimed that in Deva the manager was replaced after fully losing control of the hospital, the same as in the case of the hospital in Suceava.

The Prime Minister showed that the ones changed were the managers that "proved a crass lack of responsibility and an incapacity to run hospitals."

"Nobody imposed on any manager any acquisition, other than the legal procedures. (...) In what regards acquisitions please look at the acquisitions in the government area, even the latest acquisitions in the government area. How much did the equipment and material in the procedures ran by the ministries cost? I will give you only two examples: the mask tender to be able to ensure masks for 8th and 12th grade pupils that cost 1.42 RON," said Orban, referring to the last acquisition made by the Health Ministry which is "contested by a company which is subscribed to contracts with the hospitals subordinated to the Bucharest City Hall."

He maintained that the mask acquisitions ran by county councils led by the PSD or other public institutions controlled by the PSD are at much higher prices.

"It seems to me we are in a situation in which the pot, meaning PSD, is calling the kettle black, regarding some people who are above suspicion and for whom integrity, honor, correctness represent rules to exercise their mandate. You have the possibility, you initiated the parliamentary committee of inquiry regarding acquisitions. I don't know why you haven't completed that demarche. To introduce all the acquisitions ran and make a serious inquiry. My 30 year activity is an activity in public light and is an activity in which I never took anything which I was not entitled to in the public positions that I held, an activity in which correctness, honor and dedication to the public interest was law and any attempt to throw dirt in my direction through a ventilator is doomed to failure, as my entire activity that I conducted over 30 years stands as proof," Orban also said. AGERPRES (RO - author: Alina Novaceanu, Catalina Matei, editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - author: Razvan-Adrian Pandea, editor: Simona Iacob)