SINGAPORE ALERTS INTERPOL, ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR ROMANIAN ENVOY

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, April 10 (Bernama) -– Singapore has issued a warrant of arrest
for an ex-Romanian diplomat who was involved in two hit-and-run traffic
accidents here
last December, which left a Malaysian dead and two people injured.

The foreign affairs ministry said today that Interpol had also issued a Red
Notice against Romanian charge d'affaires Dr Silviu Ionescu, 49, who left
Singapore, three days after the accidents and was currently staying in his
country.

The ministry said this in a statement after meeting Tokyo-based Romanian
Ambassador to Singapore Aurelian Neagu, who was summoned last week, at the
ministry’s office here Friday.

In the accidents, Malaysian-born Singapore permanent resident Tong Kok Wai,
30,
died 10 days after being hit by a car bearing Romanian diplomatic registration
plate, while crossing the road with Sarawakian waiter Bong Hwee Haw, 24, in
Bukit Panjang in the early hours of Dec 15, last year.

The car then sped off and hit an 18-year-old Singaporean student,
Muhammad
Haris Abu Talib, at the next pedestrian crossing. Both Bong and Haris sustained
head and body injuries, but have now recovered.

The ministry said Neagu was officially informed of the recent findings of
the Coroner's Inquiry into the incidents and the charges preferred by the
Singapore Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) against Ionescu.

Among others, the AGC had said it would charge Ionescu with causing Tong's
death by reckless driving, causing grievous hurt to Bong, failing to stop and
render assistance after an accident and giving false information to the police.

The ambassador was told that while Singapore understood that Romania had
taken the position that it could not compel Ionescu to return as there was no
extradition treaty between Singapore and Romania, the city-state’s preference
was nevertheless, for Ionescu to return to Singapore to face the charges, the
ministry said.

The ministry also stressed that the Romanian Government had a clear moral
obligation to do all it could to persuade Ionescu to return to Singapore to
stand trial, adding this was in Romania's own interests as Ionescu had seriously
damaged Romania's international reputation.

Neagu informed the ministry that the Romanian Prosecutor's Office had
started criminal investigations against Ionescu on Feb 2, on "homicide by
negligence,leaving the scene of an accident and false statements".

The ambassador stressed that Romania was committed to seeing justice done,
and he explained that Romania would need to conduct its own investigations
against Ionescu, in accordance with Romanian law, while assuring Singapore that
Romania would continue to cooperate fully with the city-state on the matter.

-- BERNAMA




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