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The Minister of Labour, Paul Păcuraru, was officially put under indictment on Friday, and the dignitary appeared before the National Anti-Corruption Directorate to be informed of the charges against him, official sources report.

The object of criminal prosecution - according to Article 200 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP) - is to collect necessary evidence regarding the existence of criminal offences, the identification of the perpetrators and to ascertain their responsibility, to determine whether or not to order arraignment.

According to the procedure, the accused are heard by the prosecutors, who bring the charges to their knowledge, then they are questioned about the facts that form the object of the criminal prosecution file. Subsequently, the injured parties, the civil parties or the civilly responsible parties make statements before the investigator, "statements which may serve to finding the truth, only to the extent they are corroborated by facts or circumstances resulting from all available evidence in question", according to Article 75 CCP.

Following the start of criminal prosecution of a minister, Article 109 of the Constitution gives the head of state, Traian Băsescu, the right to order the suspension of Paul Păcuraru from the position of Minister.

"Only the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate and the President of Romania are entitled to demand the criminal prosecution of members of the Government for the facts committed in the exercise of their functions. If criminal prosecution was required, the President of Romania may order the suspension from their position.

Proceedings against a member of the Government entail suspension from function", provides the quoted article. The Minister of Labour, Paul Păcuraru, was allegedly recorded while asking the leader of PNL Gorj, Ilie Morega, to touch up the directors of the National Company of Lignite Oltenia and the Turceni and Rovinari complexes about granting contracts to his son's company, Intratest. Minister Păcuraru stated that, in a conversation with his son, the liberal leader of Gorj offered to help him in connection with a contract. The Minister's son, Mihnea Păcuraru, allegedly turned down the offer politely, announcing Morega that the contract had already been won by tender. Păcuraru refused to reveal the value of the contracts obtained by his son's company in Gorj, stating that the only money collected had been for "schooling 45 people."