Request for the waiver of parliamentary immunity of Adrian Severin

The European Parliament decided to waive the immunity Adrian SEVERIN (NI, RO).

Romania's National Anti-Corruption Department has requested the waiver of immunity of Adrian Severin, in order to enable the Romanian Prosecutor's Office to conduct the necessary investigations and to take legal action against Adrian Severin. The waiver of the immunity of Adrian Severin concerns alleged corruption offences covered by Article 6 of Romanian Law No 78/2000 in conjunction with Article 254 (corruption) and Article 257 (influence peddling) of the Criminal Code.

It is alleged that Mr SEVERIN, exploiting his position as Member of the European Parliament, accepted an offer of payment from representatives of a self-styled lobbying company which presented itself under the name of 'Taylor Jones Public Affairs', in exchange for his support in the European Parliament for a draft amendment to Directive 94/19/EC on deposit-guarantee schemes concerning the time limit for the reimbursement of depositors in the case of a bank failure. It appears that Taylor Jones Public Affairs was a fake society created by the British newspaper 'Sunday Times'. Mr Severin maintains that he had had relations with a fake company and had been deceived.

He also maintains that this does not have any legal consequences and that, in any case, he has never carried out his parliamentary duties in exchange for money. In short, according to Mr Severin, the company and contract were fake. He did not do any lobbying, no damage was done and no money exchanged, and no amendments to legislation were made.

However, as it not the European Parliament's responsibility to express an opinion on the guilt or otherwise of the Member nor on whether or not the acts attributed to him warrant prosecution, Parliament has decided not to waive the immunity of Adrian Severin, excluding any restrictions on his personal freedom.