11:01 AM May 22, 2010
by Satishkumar Cheney
SINGAPORE - Singapore's Special Envoy to Romania said on Friday that he sensed a "good effort" by the Romanian authorities to move the hit-and-run case involving former diplomat Silviu Ionescu forward.
Mr Anil Kumar Nayar, who was in the capital Bucharest this week, was also "cautiously optimistic" that Romanian officials "will do their best to make their visit soon" to look at the facts of the case.
The officials "need to sort out some administrative and logistic details" before they can come to Singapore, he added.
Ionescu is wanted in Singapore in connection with a hit-and-run accident last December, which killed one pedestrian. He's now in the custody of the Romanian authorities.
Mr Nayar and a delegation of legal experts went to Bucharest on Tuesday to assist the Romanian authorities in the case.
Their visit ended on Friday with the Special Envoy having met officials from the Romanian foreign and justice ministries as well as officials from the Prosecutor's Office.
During a teleconference with Singapore reporters here, Mr Nayar said details cannot be given as investigations are still on. But the tone and direction appear positive.
"After talking to them, our sense is that in line with the commitment given by the Foreign Minister of Romania to Minister George Yeo, a good effort is indeed being taken so far to move this case forward in line with the shared objectives, I think, of the two countries to make sure that justice is served," Mr Nayar said.
The Special Envoy said that more work needs to be done to make sure the momentum is sustained, not just on the Ionescu case but in terms of bilateral relations as well. There will be some exchange of information between both countries in the coming days, he added.
As to Ionescu's whereabouts, Mr Nayar said they were told by the Romanian officials that the former diplomat is currently under detention for a 29-day period.
"We were told by the Prosecutor's Office that he is under detention. We don't think he is under house arrest. That means he is detained somewhere," Mr Nayar said.
URL http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC100522-0000115/Special-Envoy-senses-Romanias-good-effort
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