Ponta flooded Romanian villages to save Belgrade; Former prime minister, presidential candidate - one step away from being criminally charged for high treason?

Victor Ponta admitted on the podcast "Hai, live! cu Turcescu şi Andronic" that he had deliberately decided to flood some Romanian villages in 2014 so that Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, would not face major floods. Moreover, Ponta stated that, as head of the Government at that time, he overrode the opposition expressed by Romanian specialists, who did not want the Romanian villages to be flooded, and, in a meeting convened at the stroke of midnight, ordered the partial, controlled emptying of the reservoir at Portile de Fier II, so that the Danube would not overflow into Serbian territory and Belgrade.

The dialogue between Ponta and Dan Andronic and Robert Turcescu - the hosts of the podcast - is hallucinatory. Asked how many citizenships he has, Victor Ponta replied: "I still have two (ed. - Romanian and Serbian), I have to go to Belgrade. They gave it to me because I helped them with an extraordinary thing, which I will write in my memoirs. During the floods, I gave the order to the Romanian structures to open the valley at the Iron Gates and that way Belgrade did not flood. Only one suburb flooded, but if we had not opened the Iron Gates, Belgrade would have flooded."

Questioned about the fact that the Romanian authorities did not want to open the Iron Gates valley, Victor Ponta said: "Because the Romanian side was flooding. And it was flooded. There were villages downstream... But I spoke with the ISU (editor's note - the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations), we moved people, we gave compensation quickly. You, the press, didn't find out anything. I called them (editor's note - the civil servants with responsibilities in the field) at 12 at night, it was a Friday night, I called everyone to the government. At 5 in the morning there were gendarmes, ISU, everyone at the Romanian villages on the gorge... I think we flooded Dinescu then. Yes, but we gave him compensation, don't worry, I gave him more than his cosmelia from Cetate did. Well, it's Belgrade! It's Belgrade where Iancu de Hunedoara beat him Mohammed the Conqueror! How can I say, yes, you're flooding Belgrade to save Dinescu's fortress?! Dinescu's wine cellar... The wine cellar has been restored, it's very good. That's how it was. And, in my case, the president didn't give it to me (editor's note - Serbian citizenship). The parliament was the one who voted. It was an honorary citizenship, I was at the same time as... what's his name, this actor... Steven Seagal. We both received citizenship then. I was thinking, no, I'm not doing politics anymore... I like Belgrade and I like Serbia very much".

In a post on his Facebook page, following his participation in the aforementioned podcast, Victor Ponta stated that during the 2014 event "no resident of the Danube riverside area was in danger and no household was seriously affected", that he saved thousands of lives in Serbia, stating that he acted as a true leader who makes decisions for the people.

Yes, but the people in question were not the Romanian citizens who woke up to the gendarmes and firefighters at dawn who asked them to leave their households... because that's what Victor Ponta decided, at midnight. Households that were flooded and that required major repairs after the waters receded, as was the case with the building owned by Mircea Dinescu in Cetate, the writer admitting yesterday in an intervention on B1 TV that in during that period he had to go there by boat for three weeks and that the level of the Danube rose five meters in a single day.

• The 1998 Convention, violated by Victor Ponta?

Victor Ponta's statements describe an illegal situation, if things happened exactly as he reported. Why? Because in the event of a rise in the level of the Danube upstream of the Iron Gates, the discharge of water from the dam/reservoir in the area is done according to the provisions of the agreement we have with Serbia regarding the exploitation and maintenance of the Iron Gates I and Iron Gates II hydropower and navigation systems.

Over time, Romania has had three documents in this regard concluded with the former Yugoslavia, current Serbia. The first dates from November 30, 1963, the second is from May 16, 1998, and the third was initialed in June 2019 and approved by GD 725/27.08.2020.

Considering that the event reported by Victor Ponta took place in 2014, the Convention of May 16, 1998 between the Government of Romania and the Federal Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on the operation and maintenance of the Iron Gates I and Iron Gates II hydropower and navigation systems was in force, published in the Official Gazette no. 13 of January 19, 1999. According to Article 4 of this Convention, in the event of floods, the decision had to be made by the Joint Coordination Body (ed. - Romanian-Serbian) through the Joint Command for Flood Protection.

Article 23 of the Convention provides:

"1. Where, according to the forecast of the inflow, it is expected suitable high waters, the beneficiaries are obliged, in order to prevent damage to riparian lands upstream and downstream of the dams of the Iron Gates I System and the Iron Gates II System, to evacuate the water from the reservoirs in a timely manner, in accordance with the daily plans that the Joint Command for Flood and High Water Defense establishes on the basis of the general plan drawn up by the OCC, according to art. 4 point 1 letter f). Unless otherwise provided by these plans, the beneficiaries will evacuate the water from the reservoir of the Iron Gates I System in equal parts, through the hydropower plants and spillways of the dams, and from the reservoir of the Iron Gates II System, according to art. 9 point 3.

2. The specific tasks of the SCDE in fulfilling the obligations provided for in point 1 of this article, tasks resulting from the daily flood protection plans, as well as from the decisions of the Joint Command for Flood and High Water Protection, will be established by the SCDE Regulation.

3. Damages that occur to riparian lands or to third parties, as a consequence of the fact that one of the beneficiaries has not complied with the obligations provided for in point 1 or point 2 of this article, shall be borne by the beneficiary who has not complied with the agreed high water evacuation plan.

4. Damages that occur to riparian lands or to third parties, downstream of the Iron Gates II System, due to the fact that one of the beneficiaries has not complied with the daily operation plan provided for in art. 12 point 1 and thereby caused variations in the level of the Danube at Gura Timocului greater than those allowed in art. 9 point 4, is borne by the beneficiary who did not comply with the daily operating plan".

• Hidroelectrica seems to contradict Ponta: "The controlled discharge in 2014 complied with the 1998 Convention"

The national company Hidroelectrica Hidroelectrica seems to contradict Victor Ponta, stating, in a press release sent to the Editorial Office yesterday, that the controlled discharge in 2014 complied with the 1998 Convention.

The cited press release states: "The operation of SHEN Portile de Fier I and Portile de Fier II is regulated by the 1998 Operating Convention, ratified by the Romanian Parliament with Law 14/1999 through the Regulation of the Joint Dispatch Service for Energy (SCDE), where it also regulates the high water period. For the particular situation from 18 to 26 May 2014, when the Danube flows reached values above the value of 11,500 m3/s, provided for in the Romanian-Serbian documents, the operation of SHEN Portile de Fier I and Portile de Fier II was made in full compliance with the provisions of the Convention and the SCDE Regulation, the level upstream of the Iron Gates I dam being 63.00 MdMA. It is worth mentioning that this exploitation rule was provided for in the Romanian-Serbian documents in order to permanently respect the principle that for high flows on the Danube (greater than 11,500 m3/s) and low flows (less than 2,350 m3/s) the levels upstream of the mouth of the Nera and downstream of Iron Gates II, should be as those in natural regime, without the influence of the two Systems (as if they did not exist). In these regimes, the hourly flow that flows downstream is equal to the inflow into the Portile de Fier I lake". Hidroelectrica shows that, from the joint operating data with the Serbian side, it results that the maximum inflow flow into Portile de Fier I during this period was 12,600 m3/s, a flow recorded several times in the joint operation. "The operating rules of SHEN Portile de Fier I and Portile de Fier II represent legal provisions between the two countries", the cited source mentions.

• Criminal complaint against Victor Ponta

In other words, the controlled discharges from the reservoir at Portile de Fier had to be approved by the Joint Coordination Body through the Joint Command for flood and high water defence.

What did Victor Ponta say on the podcast quoted?

"During the floods, I gave the order over the Romanian structures to open the valley at Portile de Fier (...). (...) I called them (ed. - civil servants with responsibilities in the field) at 12 midnight, it was a Friday night, I called them all to the government. At 5 in the morning there were gendarmes, ISU, everyone at the Romanian villages on the gorge...", said Victor Ponta.

Basically, the statement of the current presidential candidate and prime minister in 2014 reveals that he committed an abuse, an illegality, by not respecting the provisions of the 1998 Convention, making the decision alone - "I gave the order over the Romanian structures to open the valley at the Iron Gates".

Mircea Dinescu, one of those affected in 2014 by the premeditated flooding ordered by Ponta, said yesterday on B1 TV that the current presidential candidate committed harakiri and that he is "a scoundrel". Moreover, Mr. Dinescu stated that he did not receive any compensation for the damage suffered in 2014 and that he will also discuss with other affected persons in order to sue Victor Ponta.

Moreover, since it is an illegality, an an act committed against the interests of Romanian citizens, Ponta's statements could form the basis for a criminal case to be opened by the Prosecutor General's Office. However, to help prosecutors, former MEP Vlad Gheorghe announced that the political party he founded, the DREPT Party, will file a criminal complaint with the Prosecutor General's Office against Victor Ponta, whom he accuses of high treason.

• Marcel Ciolacu asks Ponta to withdraw from the presidential race

Reactions also came from political leaders yesterday.

In a post on his official Facebook page, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu asked Victor Ponta to withdraw his candidacy for the presidential elections.

Marcel Ciolacu said: "When you are prime minister, there are many moments when you are forced to make difficult decisions. But they should never be hidden from your own citizens. To admit calmly - after years! - that you agreed, as prime minister of Romania, to flood Romanian villages in order to save foreign cities and to boast that, as a reward, you received the citizenship of another state, it is clear that the game of sovereignty no longer holds! Whatever excuse you invoke, every citizen of this country expects a dignitary - be he president, prime minister or anything else, to defend his own country and his own citizens! Under no circumstances will anyone believe you are a sovereignist and that you are dying for your people and country! Victor, at least make a wise decision now! Withdraw from the race!".

The same type of message was sent by Sorin Grindeanu, the Minister of Transport, former Prime Minister in the first half of 2017, who also asked Ponta to withdraw from the presidential race.

"Like any vain man, Victor Ponta blew himself up in the middle of the presidential election campaign, knowing himself that, as Prime Minister, he ordered the intentional flooding of Romanians to save Serbs. And for that he also obtained a benefit: Serbian citizenship. In addition to the possible prescribed criminal act and the immorality of the situation, Ponta admits that Belgrade is more important than Romania! In short: friends are more important than the households and lives of Romanians! If anyone still had any doubts, this is proof that Victor Ponta always puts Romanians last, not first! Because he is always first! Therefore, the best solution for Romanians and for Romania is Victor Ponta's withdrawal from the race for the Presidency!", wrote Sorin Grindeanu on his Facebook page.

Regarding Victor Ponta's 2014 decision, the current Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests, Mircea Fechet, stated yesterday that, to the extent that he identifies relevant information in the ministry regarding this subject, he will make it available to the media.

• Harsh criticism of Victor Ponta from the presidential opponents

Victor Ponta's opponents also criticized the former prime minister's 2014 decision. Nicuşor Dan wrote on his Facebook page: "Victor Ponta told how, in 2014, when he was prime minister, he chose to flood Romanian villages in order to prevent the Danube from overflowing into Belgrade. It is hallucinatory, especially when we consider his so-called "sovereign" campaign under the slogan "Romania first!". For this "feat" Mr. Ponta tells us that he received Serbian citizenship, at the same time as the pro-Russian actor Steven Seagal, which he has not yet given up. And he received this citizenship because he chose to cause damage in Romania in order to save Serbia. The sovereignist Victor Ponta should explain to Romanians why he puts Serbia first when choosing where to cause damage to the Danube, when choosing citizenship and when choosing where to hide his fugitive friends pursued by the Romanian justice system. I also ask Marcel Ciolacu to publish and declassify all the documents that underlie the decisions taken by Prime Minister Victor Ponta at the time of the 2014 floods. Romanians have the right to know, transparently, what Victor Ponta's decision to flood the Romanian villages on the banks of the Danube was based on".

Elena Lasconi stated, also via a Facebook post: "Victor Ponta must publicly explain why he put Serbia before Romania. Remember how Ponta had the gendarmes at the floods carry him by boat, how the only nickname he found for a female minister was "Fă"? Look, that wasn't the worst part. We now learn, right from his own mouth, that in order to gain something personal - Serbian citizenship - he knowingly flooded Romania in order to save Belgrade. Do you think such a man will defend Romania in difficult situations? It seems that he cannot put the country first, if he does not have something to gain from it. In addition, if we still have institutions that do their job in this country, without political command, I also ask: has anyone taken action regarding this very serious statement? Do the prosecutors have anything to say about the way in which, discretionarily, a prime minister treated Romania's interest? With just as much ease, he tells how, in fact, the PSD mayors support him in this campaign. Great independent! Romania deserves more, it deserves honest people to lead. Victor Ponta is not one of them. He had the chance to show what he can do when he was at the helm of the PSD and the government. He showed us how small he is."

• Virgil Popescu qualifies Ponta's decision as a "sinister parody"

Former Energy Minister, current MEP Virgil Popescu, who was born in Mehedinţi County and owns a property there, said on his Facebook page: "It's hard to believe that a Romanian prime minister can make a decision that sounds like a sinister parody. But it happened. It was real. It was documented. He himself admitted it. Victor Ponta chose in the midst of the crisis to save Belgrade instead of Romanian villages. He ordered the opening of the Iron Gates dam, knowing that households, land, entire communities would be flooded. He knew. He was warned. It wasn't a mistake. It was a choice. Romanians from Mehedinţi, Dolj and Olt were cast aside like sandbags, on the altar of the external image of a politician who dreamed of honors. And he received them. Not from us, but from the Serbs. Serbian citizenship, offered with gratitude to a man who turned his country against his own people. Deliberately flooding national territory to protect a foreign city is a line that cannot be crossed. It is not a "blunder", it is not a "controversy". It is a betrayal in the deepest sense of the word. A cold, cynical betrayal, without apologies, without regret. And without consequences to this day. But a man who sank his country to receive honors from others cannot run for President".

The liberal parliamentarian from Olt, Gigel Ştirbu, also took a stand, posting the following on the social network cited above : "Ponta the "sovereignist", the "independent" candidate who promises today to put Romania first, calmly admits that when he was prime minister, he did exactly the opposite: he put Serbia first. In a recent podcast, Ponta confessed that in 2014 he ordered Romanian villages on the Danube Gorge to be flooded so that Belgrade would be saved from the waters. He did this against the recommendations of Romanian institutions, which clearly told him that the Romanian side would be affected. And yes, it was! 1500 hectares of agricultural land, pastures and forests, dozens of households, all were flooded. Knowingly. For this "extraordinary gesture" towards Serbia, Ponta was rewarded with Serbian citizenship. That's right, national loyalty! The question that arises is simple: to which country will Victor Ponta be loyal if he becomes the president of Romania? Romania or to those who decorated him and rolled out the red carpet for decisions that harmed Romanians? This is no longer just a blunder or a "podcast joke". I would say it is abuse of office with a criminal connotation, if we consider that he offered compensation from Romanians' money for the damages caused by his order. If any order was given against Romanian interests, then the state institutions should urgently take action. I ask Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to declassify all the documents that were the basis for Victor Ponta's decision to flood Romanian villages! Romanians have the right to know who was responsible, what risks they assumed and with what consequences. Victor Ponta is not only a danger to democracy. He is a danger to Romania. He did it once, he can do it again".

Former USR president, Cătălin Drulă requested the Public Ministry "to investigate the actions of Romanian-Serbian citizen Victor Ponta - the potential influence peddling and conflict of interest in the case of companies that paid him millions while he was Ciolacu's advisor, as well as the situation of the floods caused in 2014 that he boasts about today".

We recall that in 2014, the floods took place in March, April and May. In 2014, Victor Ponta went with several officials to visit the flooded villages in Teleorman County, and in May 2014, over 1,500 hectares of agricultural crops, pastures and forests (ed. - those mentioned by liberal parliamentarian Gigel Ştirbu in his post) were flooded as a result of the Danube overflowing. The affected localities included Bechet, Piscu Vechi, Desa and Cetate (the village where Mircea Dinescu owns property), according to media reports at the time.