The merit of Antena 3

The success of Antena 3 is admirable! Dan Voiculescu has once again proved his usefulness, his television has created the somewhat plausible media context for justice minister Tudorel Toader to dare make his proposal for the revocation of Laura Codruţa Kovesi as chief-prosecutor of the DNA, despite the extraordinary support that she gets in the country and abroad.

Their success is obvious, because in presenting the revocation of Codruţa Kovesi, Tudorel Toader used the arguments of Antena 3, sometimes even expressions used on their shows.

Apparently, the journalists of Antena 3 are the ones who initiated a number of revelations about the irregularities committed by the prosecutors of DNA Ploieşti, relying on the hidden camera recordings made by Vlad Cosma.

But a number of clues suggest that the revelations have not been initiated by the TV network, but rather they have been launched following an agreement between Dan Voiculescu, Liviu Dragnea and Sebastian Ghiţă, who seem to have joined forces against the chief prosecutor of the DNA (beyond their shared status of offenders, among other things Dragnea, Ghiţă and Cosma are also connected through secretaries/mistresses they shared among themselves).

After the early release of Dan Voiculescu in mid-2017, Antena 3 didn't shy away at all from showing that it is the official media entity of Liviu Dragnea, (and of him first and only then of the PSD); Antena 3 gets priority over any other media entity in the interviews with the prime-ministers of Dragnea and supports their measures - it does "PSD PR", openly.

In the six months since the release of Voiculescu, Cosma decided to broadcast the recordings which he had in wait for over a year, came into contact with the TV network of Voiculescu and with that of Ghiţă, was grated access to technicians, a prompter and editing equipment and made some of the episodes broadcasted by Antena 3 and Romania TV, with the ability to also react, from one day to the next, to the effects of his revelations.

In September last year, the press suspected a meeting between Voiculescu and Ghiţă, on the occasion of Voiculescu's flight to Belgrade, (where Ghiţă is placed on conditional release), which is when Voiculescu wrote on his blog: "In the future, like I have already stated, I will dedicate my time to the family, to the foundations for the development of Romania and not least of all, to those whose goal is to stop the abuse of the state against their citizens" [emphasis mine].

All of this suggests that the proposal to revoke the chief-prosecutor of the DNA, decided by the minister of Justice has nothing to do with any journalistic success of Antena 3, and that this success is not admirable at all, but the revelations and debates of Antena 3 are nothing else but part of a strategy aimed at removing the head of the DNA.

Being part of a strategy is not being media, is propaganda and manipulation.

To a significant part of the public, I've wasted the time trying to prove this, because there was no evidence needed, it is obvious that Antena 3 manipulates things without scruples and does propaganda.

When it comes to the other part of the public, which since the Referendum of 2012 became obvious that it is also very important, I have also wasted time, because even in the event where my arguments were crushing, (and they're not), beyond any reasoning and evidence, that part of the public is in the possession of a nuclear option, that it got from her idol Mihai Gâdea, on his show, on Antena 3: "Kiss Kovesi's ass!"

There is no civilized reaction to this response.

Why should I write a full page of text that for most of the public would just be a waste of time?

I don't do that, I respect my audience.

Unless I have something to say, I don't write.

This is not the article, this is just the introduction - a long introduction to a short article.

The short article begins just like the introduction:

"The achievement of Antena 3 is admirable!"

Honest people who know the situation of the judicial system confirm the illegal practices of the members of the system, be they cops, prosecutors, judges, lawyers.

The first concern of the people in the judicial system is to deprive their subjects of their human rights, to deprive them of their dignity, to destroy their status and self-respect, to scare them, to turn them to cowardice and to force them into dependence and collaboration.

Those honest people in the know say that without such abominable tactics, fighting corruption (let's say) would have no effectiveness at all and that all the victories of the DNA (let's say), have involved that kind of humiliations (let's remember that Dinu Patriciu cried after getting out of Rahova, after one day in prison).

Unlike the order on what to say that Antena 3 got, namely that they are just fighting against some corrupt prosecutors, but not against the DNA, the "honest people in the know" of the judicial system claim that the illegal practices are generalized against the system.

Those "honest people in the know" claim that these illegal practices have not been launched by Laura Codruţa Kovesi, nor by her predecessors, but they have instead been practiced forever and they are similar to foreign practices.

If it were true what these "honest people in the know" of the judicial system (and what they claim is extremely plausible), then the problem in this article does not concern any of the individuals or institutions involved in the current row concerning the judicial system, but instead is expressed through the question: "Do we want to fight corruption, or do we want to honor human rights?"

Of course, everyone will answer that they want both, but at first look, they seem to be mutually exclusive.

You are free to look for the optimal separation between the corrupt and anti-corruption fighters, when it comes to dealing with human rights.

Even though that's not what it wanted to do, it is the merit of Antena 3 that is has shed some light on the problem.

• POST SCRIPTUM 1

The dictation of the deposition of the witness by the prosecutors and/or policemen does not prove that they have forced a certain version of it, because it could be a mere rewording of the statements of the witness, in the manner agreed by the prosecutors and/or policemen, without also representing any distortion of the witness' claims.

Therefore the reluctance when it comes to the recordings broadcasted Antena 3 as "evidence" is reasonable, but I wouldn't recommend expressing it in the studios of Antena 3, because you risk Mihai Gâdea going all nuclear on you.

• POST SCRIPTUM 2

The last propaganda brainchild of the fans of Antena 3 is that Laura Codruţa Kovesi is backed by "the mafia of the former communist apparatus", which leaves you gobsmacked, and instead of responding you just grunt.

Dan Voiculescu is exactly what the fans of Antena 3 accuse his opponents of being - he is certified as being an apparatchik, certified by the CNSAS (Commission For The Review Of The Archives Of The Former Securitate) as a former member of the Securitate, and not as one of the SRI (Romanian Intelligence Service), like Sebastian Ghiţă is rumored to be, nor at the command of the SRI, like some would suspect Dragnea of being. "The president of the PSD, Liviu Dragnea, was recruited by the SRI in Alexandria, when the head of the SRI Teleorman was lt. col. Iancu Sabin - now the head of SRI Prahova -, former SRI officer Adrian Radu told «FLUX 24» in an exclusive statement. Adrian Radu is currently the editor of the publication Comisarul de Prahova The Prahova Commissioner publication. Dragnea allegedly was co-opted in 2013, Radu claims. It was about a family business set up in Prahova, the turf of the family of PSD bigwig Mircea Cosma, and deputy Sebastian Ghiţă, and Dragnea was blackmailed with the businesses of his group of interests" (https://www.flux24.ro/exclusiv-liviu-dragnea-a-fost-racolat-de-sri-un-fost-ofiter-sri-dezvaluie-afacerea-si-cum-actualul-lider-al-psd-a-fost-protejat-de-serviciul-de-informatii/).

If we are to accept that the "mafia of the former Securitate" exists, then Dan Voiculescu is obviously the "Godfather" who decided to cooperate with the "SRI mafia", that is of course if we accept that it also exists, based on article 43 of the law of the SRI, which allows the SRI to own companies ("Under the control of the Parliament, based on its own needs and in strict compliance with the legal provisions, as part of the Romanian Intelligence Service may operate the following : a public corporation, manufacturing companies, healthcare institutions, as well as cultural-athletic associations").