Romanian diplomat's car in hit-and-run: cover up?

last SG · 2010-02-11T21:43:38+00:00

If today the driver is a "poor" chap, that guy had been jailed by now. The government might not be able to retain Ionescu, but can't they do not allow him t...

QX179R SG

Romanian Prosecutor's Office to investigate hit-and-run case

SINGAPORE: Romania's Foreign Ministry has asked its country's Prosecutor's Office to investigate the Bukit Panjang hit-and-run accident, which has alleged links to Dr Silviu Ionescu, the charge d'affaires of its embassy in Singapore. It has also recalled the Romanian diplomat from his post.

A statement posted on the ministry's website on Wednesday said this is to allow for a "full and fair investigation of the case". The ministry added it has roped in its Prosecutor's Office following an "internal investigation".

The investigation led to the conclusion that "from the point of view of legal procedures and international regulations, the MFA has neither the competences nor the means to identify the author, the cause and the circumstances of the accident, all such aspects pertaining to penal procedure".

It added the ministry has also provided the Prosecutor's Office with all the information gathered on the case.

"The MFA is committed to a rapid clarification of, and gives its entire support to, solving this case, keeping a permanent contact with the Romanian Prosecutor's Office and the authorities of Singapore," the statement said.

Both Romania and Singapore are parties of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

The Convention states that "a diplomatic agent shall enjoy immunity from the criminal jurisdiction of the receiving state... the immunity of a diplomatic agent from the jurisdiction of the receiving state does not exempt him from the jurisdiction of the sending state".

This means the penal investigation of a case in which a diplomat is involved in the receiving state, takes place in the state where he holds citizenship.

On December 15, a car belonging to the Romanian embassy in Singapore – a black Audi A6 – hit three pedestrians at about 3.10am.

One victim, 30-year-old Tong Kok Wai, suffered brain damage and died on Christmas Day. The other two suffered injuries.

Dr Ionescu, who is currently in Romania, had reported to the police that his vehicle was stolen.

- CNA/so

casefan SG

"i see i see.. u like the Israel style"

Like the manner in which the Israelis disposed of the perpetrators of the Munich massacre?

QX179R SG

Source: The Straits Times

Senior State Counsel Lau Wing Yum said said extensive police investigations showed that the car was not stolen and that Dr Ionescu was behind the wheel at the time of the two accidents.

Dr Ionescu flew back to Romania three days later. He has since been recalled by the Romanian government.

But Mr Lau said his whereabouts is not known. He added that the Singapore police are in contact with Interpol Bucharest.

Mr Tong's next of kin is being represented by KhattarWong while Hoh Law Corporation is holding a watching brief for Mr Bong, who has since returned to Kuching for rehabilitation due to severe head and bodily injuries.

The Romanian economic counsellor and acting charge d'affaires, Mr Alexandru Nicolae Coseru turned was present at the mention as well.

At least 35 witnesses will be called at a coroner's inquiry into the death of a hotel assistant manager who was run over by a Romanian diplomat's car in December.

The inquiry into the death of Malaysian Tong Kok Wai, 30, a Singapore permanent resident, will be held from March 3 to 10.

Mr Tong died on Christmas Day - 10 days after a hit-and-run accident at Bukit Panjang - after he was taken off life support.

The newly-wed and Malaysian waiter Bong Hwee Haw, 24, were walking on the pedestrian crossing at the junction of Bukit Panjang Road and Bangkit Road at about 3.10am on Dec 15 when they were hit by an embassy car. The car sped off and hit an 18-year-old student at the next controlled junction.

Principal Senior State Counsel Lau Wing Yum revealed this in court on Wednesday while giving a brief summary of what happened that fateful day.

He said the Romanian charge d'affaires, Dr Silviu Ionescu, 49, reported the loss of his car at 3.40am that day. The car, with its front windscreen smashed and bonnet dented, was found locked and abandoned at Sungei Kadut Avenue later that day.

QX179R SG

Romanian diplomat involved in hit-and-run accident suspended

The Romanian diplomat who is a suspect in a fatal hit-and-run accident in Singapore, has been suspended from his duties by his country's foreign affairs ministry.

The Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry made the announcement was this morning.

This comes after reports that say Dr Silviu Ionescu was charged with manslaughter by Romanian authorities yesterday.

Romanian media reports say Dr Ionescu faces three charges for manslaughter, fleeing the scene, and giving false statements.

The Romanian embassy here tells MediaCorp that the suspension will hold until criminal investigations are complete.

Singapore Police have said that on the 15th of December last year, an embassy car, driven by Dr Ionescu, hit three pedestrians in Bukit Panjang.

One of them later died.

Separately, the coroner's inquiry will begin in Singapore early next month.

--938Live

QX179R SG

MFA summons envoy

SINGAPORE on Thursday summoned the Romanian ambassador to the Republic to demand a series of actions in the wake of a hit-and-run accident last December involving an embassy staffer.

Responding to media queries, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said MFA is seeking the return of Dr Silvio Ionescu for the coroner's inquiry on March 10 into the death of Mr Tong Kok Wai, one of the two victims of the Dec 15 accident. Dr Ionescu, who had earlier claimed the car involved in the accident was stolen, has been identified as a suspect in the case.

Romanian Ambassador Aurelian Neagu, who is based in Tokyo, was told by the Singapore MFA that the accident 'is of the highest concern to the Singapore Government. MFA also reiterated that it was most important that the Romanian Embassy cooperate fully with the Singapore authorities' on this.

MFA explained to Mr Neagu that the coroner's inquiry is not a trial, but a fact-finding inquiry to establish the facts where there has been an unnatural death. 'MFA handed Ambassador Neagu a diplomatic note seeking the Romanian Embassy's assistance in requesting Dr Ionescu to return to Singapore to attend the Coroner's Inquiry,' said the spokesman.

Referring to Romanian media reports that Dr Ionescu was still maintaining that the car had been stolen and that he was not the driver at the time of the two accidents, MFA pointed out that if Dr Ionescu was maintaining that he was not responsible, it was all the more reason why he should come back to Singapore to give his version at the Coroner's Inquiry. This will help the State Coroner to ascertain the facts relating to the two accidents.

MFA also pointed out to Mr Neagu that Dr Ionescu was welcome to engage a local lawyer to examine the witnesses and put forth his version of the events at the Inquiry. Alternatively, the Romanian Embassy could engage a local lawyer on Dr Ionescu's behalf.

Noting media reports of Dr Ionescu's claim in a recent Romanian television interview that there was a witness who could exonerate him, MFA asked the Romanian Embassy to request Dr Ionescu to give the Singapore authorities details concerning the identity of this witness. The witness can then be required to give evidence at the coroner's inquiry, said the MFA spokesman.

--ST

QX179R SG

Allegations 'entirely false'

ROMANIAN Charge d'Affaires Silviu Ionescu, who has been identified as the driver of the car involved in a hit-and-run accident that left one person dead and two others injured last December, has made very serious allegations against the integrity of the Singapore Government, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.

An MFA spokesman on Thursday said that Dr Ionescu had in a recent interview with a television station back in Romania, alleged that the case against him was a 'set-up' by the Singapore Government because he had been reporting on political activities here.

'Dr Ionescu had alleged that there had been a similar case in 2007, when he was also accused of being the driver in a hit-and-run accident, but was eventually let off as he had an alibi at that time,' said the MFA spokesman.

MFA, which summoned Mr Aurelian Neagu, Romanian Ambassador to Singapore, to the ministry on Thursday, told the envoy that Dr Ionescu 'had made very serious allegations against the integrity of the Singapore Government which MFA categorically rejected as lacking any basis in fact.'

'These allegations were also a gross insult to the victims of the two accidents,' said the ministry's spokesman, who added that Dr Ionescu's claim that he had been accused of being the driver in a hit-and-run accident in 2007 is 'entirely false.'

The spokesman pointed out that records showed that the Romanian Embassy vehicle was involved in two traffic accidents in 2007. The first was a minor non-injury accident where the driver was not Dr Ionescu and the other driver did not wish to pursue the matter.

In the second case, it was established then that Dr Ionescu, who was the driver, was not at fault and action was taken against the other driver involved in the accident.

'These facts clearly show that Dr Ionescu's claims are fictitious and at no time was he ever accused by the Police of being the driver in a hit-and-run accident in 2007.'

MFA also asked Ambassador Neagu for more information on the status of the criminal proceedings in Romania against Dr Ionescu, and on the Romanian system of investigations and prosecutions.

'The next step will depend on the Romanian Government's response to our requests and the outcome of the Coroner's Inquiry,' said the spokesman.

--ST

Rock^Star SG

In the first place, the witnesses who saw the hit and run already reported it at that time. Subsequently, this romanian reported his car missing . The descriptions from either side should have tallied. So now the big qn is, who the f go and release that chap?

It's rather LPPL.

QX179R SG

S'pore wants diplomat back

SINGAPORE has asked for the Romanian Embassy's charge d'affaires, Dr Silviu Ionescu, to be present when an inquiry into a fatal accident last year, in which he is suspected of involvement, begins here next month.

In a strongly worded statement issued last night, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said it had summoned the Romanian Ambassador to the Republic and delivered a series of diplomatic notes.

It also revealed that Dr Ionescu was involved in a 2007 accident, of which he was cleared of any wrongdoing.

In diplomatic-speak, a summons is a serious matter, and is issued when a country seeks information, clarification or documents from another. Such summonses cannot be ignored.

The notes were delivered to Ambassador Aurelian Neagu, 50, who is based in Tokyo but flew to Singapore and accepted them yesterday.

The first note sought the Romanian Embassy's cooperation in asking Dr Ionescu, 49, to return to Singapore to attend the coroner's inquiry into the death of Mr Tong Kok Wai. He died as a result of injuries sustained in the Dec 15 accident.

--ST

QX179R SG

Envoy claims he was framed

ROMANIAN diplomat Silviu Ionescu has said in media reports back home that the hit-and-run accident was staged by the Singapore authorities against him.

The local police tried to stage a similar accident against him in 2007, he added in an interview with Antena 3, a privately owned television station, last Saturday. The interview was picked up by the RADOR national news agency and reported subsequently in major national newspapers like the Adevarul and Evenimentul Zilei.

In the interview, Dr Ionescu said that during the past year, he had made frequent requests to Bucharest to recall him because of what he said was pressure on him arising from his reporting on Singapore's political scene.

His investigation, which he said was done on orders from the Romanian Foreign Ministry, made him an 'inconvenient person' in a country which, he suggested, has a problem with human rights.

'During the first two years, my activity was normal, confined to the normal duties of my post. In the last two years, I kept being criticised by our authorities at home for not reporting more on political activities, and in the last year I concentrated on political work,' he was quoted as saying.

'The work of a diplomat... can inconvenience the Singaporean authorities a great deal. This fact, plus my weak health condition compelled me a number of times to ask for my recall from the post,' he said.

As for the accident itself, he reiterated that at no time was he anywhere near the site. To this day, he said, he does not even know where this place is, or how the accident happened.

--ST

XD2229P SG

QX179R SG

Romania lifts immunity

ROMANIA responded swiftly yesterday to a request from Singapore, lifting immunity for an embassy staff member here and distancing itself from remarks made by its former charge d'affaires over a fatal car accident last year.

It said that since former charge d'affaires Silviu Ionescu has been suspended from his diplomatic job, it will be up to him to decide whether to return to Singapore for a coroner's inquiry next month.

A Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Romanian MFA) spokesman told The Straits Times on Friday that his country would do 'everything possible in order to maintain and enhance good relations between Romania and Singapore'.

The spokesman, Mr Lucian Rosenfeld, also dismissed allegations by Dr Ionescu in a recent television interview that he had been 'set up' by the Singapore Government.

Romania 'firmly disassociates itself' from those accusations, Mr Rosenfeld said.

Dr Ionescu has been identified as a suspect in two hit-and-run accidents last Dec 15 involving a Romanian Embassy car.

--ST

Rock^Star SG

"It said that since former charge d'affaires Silviu Ionescu has been suspended from his diplomatic job, it will be up to him to decide whether to return to Singapore for a coroner's inquiry next month."

This is the MOST LOL part.

"ROMANIA responded swiftly yesterday to a request from Singapore, lifting immunity for an embassy staff member here."

And who the hell is that? LOL

Watch out for more wayang.

Miracles&Prophecies SG

In that case we should just send our armed forces into Romania and get Dr Ionescu back to Singapore by force. Can show all the other countries Singapore isn't one to be punked with also.

What hit and run is your govt favorite tactic of killing innocents they hate

QX179R SG

Singapore won't tolerate abuse of diplomatic immunity: Minister Yeo

SINGAPORE: Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo says there are due processes of law in Singapore and Romania to deal with the hit-and-run accident linked to Romanian diplomat Silviu Ionescu.

He told Parliament on Monday that Singaporeans should not speculate on the accident on December 15 last year.

The accident claimed the life of 30-year-old Tong Kok Wai.

"Some have criticised the Singapore government for not acting immediately to detain him (Dr Ionescu). I fully understand the outrage many Singaporeans feel over the hit-and-run accident and the tragic death of Mr Tong," said Mr Yeo.

"However, we should never do anything that is not in keeping with due legal process, nor descend into trial by media. Otherwise, we will weaken our own case."

Mr Yeo said when Dr Ionescu left Singapore in December, the Police had not yet completed investigations.

"In any case, we could not have prevented Dr Ionescu from leaving Singapore, because as a diplomat accredited to Singapore, he enjoyed diplomatic immunity and could not be detained," he said.

Mr Yeo stressed that Singapore will not tolerate any abuse of diplomatic immunity and believes the Romanian authorities share this view.

"MFA has zero tolerance for any abuse of diplomatic immunity by our own diplomats, even in such matters as parking fines," he said.

"The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman was also quoted in the media as saying the Romanian MFA firmly demands and expects its diplomats to respect absolutely and with no equivocation the national laws of the country to which they are credited," he added.

"This means that the Romanian government takes the position that diplomatic immunity is not a licence to flout the law."

As for what happens after the coroner's inquiry from March 3-10, Mr Yeo said: "We will take one step at a time."

- CNA/ir

QX179R SG

Romanian Embassy responds to MFA

THE Romanian Embassy on Tuesday officially responded to requests by Singapore's Foreign Ministry over the hit-and-run case involving a car allegedly driven by the embassy's charge d'affaires in Singapore.

The car hit three people in Bukit Panjang before speeding off on Dec 15, causing the death of 30-year-old Tong Kok Wai. The coroner's inquiry into his death starts next week, but Foreign Minister George Yeo said in Parliament on Monday that there has been no sign that the envoy at the centre of the case, Dr Silviu Ionescu, who flew home after the accident, will attend the hearing.

In apparent response to Mr Yeo's comments in Parliament, the Romanian Embassy handed over three diplomatic notes - Third Party Notes (TPN) - to the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

The first note acceded to MFA's request that Mr Marius Trusca, an administrative officer at the Romanian Embassy, give evidence at the coroner's inquiry on the death of Mr Tong. The Embassy added that 'Mr Trusca will assist the State Coroner in establishing the true circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Tong.'

The second note confirmed that the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had informed Dr Ionescu, whom police investigations revealed was the driver of the Romanian Embassy car at the time of the accidents, that he attend the Coroner's Inquiry and give the Singapore authorities details of the identity of the witness whom the envoy had claimed could exonerate him.

The note added that the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has suspended its 'labour relationship' with Dr Ionescu 'during the period of criminal investigations undertaken by the Romanian authorities and cannot compel him to observe a certain line of conduct'.

'The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs firmly dissociates itself from Dr Silviu Ionescu's statements made after his employment contract was suspended and underlines that his statements do not represent theposition of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,' said the note.

The Embassy also handed over a third note stating that the Romanian authorities would 'give due consideration' to MFA's request for more information on the status of the criminal proceedings in Romania against Dr Ionescu and on the Romanian system of investigations and prosecutions, and 'a detailed answer will be soon provided'.

--ST

QX179R SG

MFA says Ionescu's comments that prosecutors are accusing him are "puzzling"

Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry says it's puzzled by comments made to the media by Dr Silvio Ionescu, the former Romanian Chargé d'Affaires, who's linked to a hit-and-run case here.

Dr Ionescu was quoted as saying that prosecutors here were accusing him long before they had the right to do so.

And that there should be a preliminary inquiry first.

He said this was clearly a sign that he shouldn't come back.

In a statement today (Feb 26), MFA said no charges have been made and no judgement has been passed on Dr Ionescu.

It said as Singapore has made clear, the Coroner's Inquiry to be held from 3 to 10 March 2010 into the death of Mr Tong Kok Wai is not a criminal trial.

MFA says the Coroner's Inquiry is simply to ascertain the facts and circumstances of the death.

It reiterated that Police investigations have revealed that the driver of the vehicle at the time of the two accidents was Dr Silviu Ionescu.

It noted that Dr Ionescu has denied this.

MFA said if Dr Ionescu was not the driver as he claims, he should take the opportunity to attend the Inquiry to give his account of the events and pose questions to the witnesses, in order that the true circumstances surrounding the accidents may be determined.

The ministry added that Singapore's legal system is well-known internationally for its integrity and transparency.

The Coroner will make a finding based on the evidence presented before him.

MFA has sought the assistance of the Romanian Embassy to request Dr Ionescu to return to Singapore to attend the Coroner's Inquiry as an "interested person" and not as a potential defendant.

It said that the Public Prosecutor has not decided whether it is appropriate to charge Dr Ionescu for any offences.

It added that the decision will be taken only after all the facts have been clarified at the Coroner's Inquiry.

MFA says if the Coroner rules that Dr Ionescu was not the driver, no charges against him will be made.

For this reason, it said it's in Dr Ionescu's interest to return to Singapore to put his version before the Coroner or to appoint a lawyer in Singapore to do so on his behalf.

The ministry also said it found another comment made by Dr Ionescu's "shocking".

Dr Ionescu had reportedly said "Someone died. It's not something solitary, but happens all over the world. There are bigger stories out there".

MFA said it trusts that the Romanian authorities do not share Dr Ionescu's irresponsible and callous attitude.

--938Live

QX179R SG

Night out with singer

FORMER Romanian diplomat Silviu Ionescu, who is linked to the hit-and-run accident at Bukit Panjang last December, invited a Korean opera singer and voice teacher out 10 days after meeting her at a concert.

The 49-year-old then charge d'Affaires of the Romanian Embassy here and Ms Jeong Ae Ree, 40, went to a few places including Shangri--La Hotel where he had some white wine on Dec 14. The couple then adjourned to Clarke Quay and a KTV lounge at Peace Centre, Selegie Road, for a birthday party.

Taking the stand on Wednesday as the first witness at a coroner's inquiry into the death of Malaysian assistant manager Tong Kok Wai, 30, a hit-and-run victim, Ms Jeong said Dr Ionescu picked her up from her Hillcrest Arcadia home in a black Audi, which was driven by his chauffeur. After a few glasses of white wine, Dr Ionescu invited her to a birthday party elsewhere. Ms Jeung said the driver took them to a condominium where the diplomat told her he lived there. The driver removed the State flag from the car before Dr Ionescu took over the wheel.

She said they next went to Clarke Quay where they watched belly dancing outside a Turkish restaurant. Dr Ionescu had two shots of tequila, she said. At about midnight, they left for Legend Palace KTV and joined a group of people in a room. She said at the KTV, he had a few glasses of a drink, probably a mixture of coke and alcohol spirits. As she was not well, she told him repeatedly she wanted to go home. He finally took her home at about 2am.

Ms Jeong said at around 8am, she woke up to find two missed calls from Dr Ionescu at 3.50am. She sent him a text message. He said he wanted to meet her the next day at about 1pm. They met at her condominium lobby, where, for reasons unknown, he tried to explain he was only drinking juices and coke the night before and nothing else.

'He even showed me some medications to prove that he is diabetic. i do not know the reason for his explanations,'' she added. Footages from CCTV taken at Shangri-La Hotel and Legend Palace were shown in court. The inquiry continues.

--ST

QX179R SG

Embassy car not broken into

A MOTOR company manager cum assessor told a coroner's court on Wednesday that there was no evidence that the Romanian Embassy's Audi A6 car had been tampered with or broken into.

Mr Boo Seng Yak of Premium Automobile Singapore, the Audi dealer in Singapore, said the car has two remote ignition keys and an emergency ignition key. 'The car can only be driven by any of the two remote ignition keys or the emergency ignition key, as the car is equipped with an immobiliser system,' he said in his statement.

This means that if the car is broken into by a person who does not have the authorised ignition key to the car, he cannot drive it away. He added that there was no record that the car keys were reported lost or stolen.

His evidence flew in the face of a report lodged by ex-Romanian diplomat Sliviu Ionescu that the embassy car had been stolen on the morning it was involved in two hit-and-run accidents at Bukit Panjang on last Dec 15.

The accident claimed the life of assistant manager Tong Kok Wai, 30, a newly-wed, and injured two others, Malaysian Bong Hwee Haw, 24, Mr Tong's colleague, and Mr Muhammad Haris Abu Talib, 18. Mr Tong died 10 days after the accident while the other two had been discharged.

The court was hearing an inquiry into the death of Mr Tong. The hearing continues.

--ST

Shotgun SG

No more diplomatic immunity for him means got extradition anot?

QX179R SG

Survivor can't recall

THE first injured pedestrian who was knocked down at a Bukit Panjang traffic light junction by a Romanian Embassy car last December could not recall the accident nor how he landed up in hospital.

Mr Bong Hwee Haw, 24, was crossing the pedestrian crossing with his good friend Tong Kok Wai, 30, at the junction of Bukit Panjang Road and Bangkit Road when a black Audi A6 ploughed into them at about 3.10am on Dec 15.

The car sped off leaving the two casualties lying on the road with serious injuries. It was later found abandoned at Sungi Kadut area. Mr Tong was pronounced brain-dead three days later. On Christmas Day, the Malaysian assistant manager was taken off life support.

Walking slowly and speaking through a Mandarin interpreter, the bespectacled Mr Bong, who was accompanied by his mother and elder sister to court, said in a statement that he was still unable to work. He was testifying on Day 2 of a coroner's inquiry into the death of Mr Tong. Before the accident, he had completed his training to be a croupier at Resorts World Sentosa.

On Dec 14 evening, Mr Tong asked to meet him and his wife at Bukit Panjang as the couple were there to view some flats. Both men ate at a coffeeshop before heading to Mr Tong's place. They waited for an hour at a nearby park before Mr Tong's wife joined them later. In the early hours of Dec 15, all three left for Mr Tong's home.

'The last thing that I remember that day was sitting and chatting to Kok Wai at a staircase landing near his flat,' he said in his statement.Normally, he said Mr Tong would always walk with him to the main road of Bukit Panjang Road to help him get a taxi. 'I do not recall the accident, where it took place, or how I got to the hospital. As a result of the accident, I sustained severe injuries to my head and a fracture to my right leg.'

--ST

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