BUCHAREST - Romania's Environment Minister Laszlo Borbely resigned on Thursday from the centrist coalition government over a potential criminal inquiry against him on alleged abuse of power.
Romania is the second poorest member of the European Union, which it joined in 2007, and is seen as the third most corrupt. Brussels has repeatedly raised concerns about a lack of progress in convicting top-level officials.
It has kept Romania outside the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone along with neighbouring Bulgaria, and the bloc has progress on graft and judicial reform under special monitoring.
A veteran member of the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR, which is a junior partner in the ruling coalition cabinet, Borbely said he was innocent and that his move was needed to allay any suspicion about his government’s activity.
"I decided to quit … I strongly reject any accusations, they are unfounded, and I do hope I will succeed in proving my innocence," Borbely told a news briefing. "
Romania’s top court said in a statement it asked parliament on Wednesday to begin procedures required to launch the investigation. A vote in parliament on stripping Borbely – who is also a deputy in the lower house – of his immunity has yet to be scheduled.
No details of the specific allegations he could face were disclosed.
The highest profile case was a two-year jail sentence for former prime minister Adrian Nastase. He would be the first Romanian premier to be sent to jail since the fall of communism in 1989, but remains free pending an appeal.
