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....hope a hitman takes him down Former Romanian diplomat Ionescu released from detention in Bucharest By Claudia Craiu | Posted: 26 November 2010 0747 hrs Photos1 of 1 Silviu Ionescu (file picture) Twitter Messenger BUCHAREST: Former Romanian diplomat Silviu Ionescu was released from detention late Thursday night (around 10pm Romanian time, 4am Singapore time). He had been held in preventive custody at Rahova prison in Bucharest for seven months. His trial began on October 6. But now Ionescu has been placed under judicial supervision, which means that he cannot leave the country and must show up for his Court dates. His next appearance in Court will be on January 12 next year. Ionescu is facing charges of homicide, causing physical injuries and making false statements, arising from two hit-and-run accidents in Singapore last December. The decision on Thursday to release him came after his defence counsel had appealed to a higher tribunal in Bucharest. The lawyers had previously applied to a Romanian court, which decided against his request when the trial was adjourned on November 17. But after many attempts to get their client out of prison, they have now finally succeeded. The tribunal's reason for granting Ionescu's request was not available on Thursday night. It will likely be known on Friday when the Court reopens. Ionescu cut a relieved figure on Thursday night when he spoke to reporters outside the prison gates, moments after his release. He said he would continue to prepare his defence because he considered himself innocent. He was also glad the decision to release him came when it did. He said it was his wife's 50th birthday on Thursday. And after a brief moment with his lawyers, friends and son Bogdan, the former diplomat headed home. - CNA/de

A ROMANIAN woman is the world's youngest grandmother, aged 23, British tabloid The Sun reported. Mother of two, Rifca Stanescu was 12 when she had her first child Maria. A year later she had a son, Nicolae. Mrs Stanescu was 11 when she married 13-year-old jewellery seller Ionel Stanescu. They eloped because Mrs Stanescu feared her father would want her to marry another man. Mrs Stanescu said she had been forgiven by her family after giving birth to Maria. The young mother wanted Maria to have a different life and urged her to stay at school. However, Maria got married when she was 10 years old. Six months later, she gave birth to son Ion at age 11. -- KOREA HERALD/ANN http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/W...ory_643106.html wtf

Sat, May 08, 2010 AFP BUCHAREST, Romania - A Romanian diplomat involved in a fatal hit-and-run case in Singapore was detained for questioning on Friday, Romanian prosecutors said. Silviu Ionescu, who was Bucharest's charge d'affaires in Singapore at the time, is alleged to have hit three pedestrians in two incidents in December while driving a car belonging to the Romanian mission. One of the victims, a 30-year-old Malaysian national, suffered brain damage and died on Christmas Day, while the two others suffered injuries. The diplomat, who flew back to Romania days after the accident, "has tried to influence witnesses' depositions and asked an employee to erase data in his computer," prosecutors said. Ionescu was taken in for questioning for six hours on Friday by prosecutors who are seeking a 29-day detention warrant against him. Judges have 24 hours to approve the diplomat's detention or release him. Ionescu has publicly denied he was the driver, claiming the car was stolen. In interviews to Romanian media, he alleged he was "a victim of a conspiracy by Singapore authorities." Last month, Singapore issued an arrest warrant after a coroner's court ruled that Ionescu was driving the car involved in the accident. Singapore's foreign ministry said the Romanian government had the moral obligation to persuade Ionescu to return to face the charges. There is no extradition treaty between the two countries. "The Romanian government must in its own interests ensure that justice was served and seen to be served," a spokesman said in a statement. "Otherwise, there would inevitably be consequences for bilateral relations."

Allegations 'entirely false' ROMANIAN Charge d'Affaires Silviu Ionescu, who has been identified as the driver of the car involved in a hit-and-run accident that left one person dead and two others injured last December, has made very serious allegations against the integrity of the Singapore Government, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. An MFA spokesman on Thursday said that Dr Ionescu had in a recent interview with a television station back in Romania, alleged that the case against him was a 'set-up' by the Singapore Government because he had been reporting on political activities here. 'Dr Ionescu had alleged that there had been a similar case in 2007, when he was also accused of being the driver in a hit-and-run accident, but was eventually let off as he had an alibi at that time,] said the MFA spokesman. MFA, which summoned Mr Aurelian Neagu, Romanian Ambassador to Singapore, to the ministry on Thursday, told the envoy that Dr Ionescu 'had made very serious allegations against the integrity of the Singapore Government which MFA categorically rejected as lacking any basis in fact.' 'These allegations were also a gross insult to the victims of the two accidents,' said the ministry's spokesman, who added that Dr Ionescu's claim that he had been accused of being the driver in a hit-and-run accident in 2007 is 'entirely false.' The spokesman pointed out that records showed that the Romanian Embassy vehicle was involved in two traffic accidents in 2007. The first was a minor non-injury accident where the driver was not Dr Ionescu and the other driver did not wish to pursue the matter. In the second case, it was established then that Dr Ionescu, who was the driver, was not at fault and action was taken against the other driver involved in the accident. 'These facts clearly show that Dr Ionescu's claims are fictitious and at no time was he ever accused by the Police of being the driver in a hit-and-run accident in 2007.' MFA also asked Ambassador Neagu for more information on the status of the criminal proceedings in Romania against Dr Ionescu, and on the Romanian system of investigations and prosecutions. 'The next step will depend on the Romanian Government's response to our requests and the outcome of the Coroner's Inquiry,' said the spokesman. SINGAPORE on Thursday summoned the Romanian ambassador to the Republic to demand a series of actions in the wake of a hit-and-run accident last December involving an embassy staffer. Responding to media queries, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said MFA is seeking the return of Dr Silvio Ionescu for the coroner's inquiry on March 10 into the death of Mr Tong Kok Wai, one of the two victims of the Dec 15 accident. Dr Ionescu, who had earlier claimed the car involved in the accident was stolen, has been identified as a suspect in the case. Romanian Ambassador Aurelian Neagu, who is based in Tokyo, was told by the Singapore MFA that the accident 'is of the highest concern to the Singapore Government. MFA also reiterated that it was most important that the Romanian Embassy cooperate fully with the Singapore authorities' on this. MFA explained to Mr Neagu that the coroner's inquiry is not a trial, but a fact-finding inquiry to establish the facts where there has been an unnatural death. 'MFA handed Ambassador Neagu a diplomatic note seeking the Romanian Embassy's assistance in requesting Dr Ionescu to return to Singapore to attend the Coroner's Inquiry,' said the spokesman. Referring to Romanian media reports that Dr Ionescu was still maintaining that the car had been stolen and that he was not the driver at the time of the two accidents, MFA pointed out that if Dr Ionescu was maintaining that he was not responsible, it was all the more reason why he should come back to Singapore to give his version at the Coroner's Inquiry. This will help the State Coroner to ascertain the facts relating to the two accidents. MFA also pointed out to Mr Neagu that Dr Ionescu was welcome to engage a local lawyer to examine the witnesses and put forth his version of the events at the Inquiry. Alternatively, the Romanian Embassy could engage a local lawyer on Dr Ionescu's behalf. Noting media reports of Dr Ionescu's claim in a recent Romanian television interview that there was a witness who could exonerate him, MFA asked the Romanian Embassy to request Dr Ionescu to give the Singapore authorities details concerning the identity of this witness. The witness can then be required to give evidence at the coroner's inquiry, said the MFA spokesman.

http://www.petitiononline.com/romsgacc/petition.html. Do your part.... No ambassador should be granted immunity after killing one and injuring 2 in anywhere. Btw, the taxi driver who has driven him from scene of crime had produced the reciept and witnessed him ...making the loss report over his handphone on his taxi. May Justice prevails.See More

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1035338/1/.html SINGAPORE: The Romanian diplomat who is a suspect in a fatal hit-and-run accident in Singapore has been suspended from his duties by his country's Foreign Affairs Ministry. The announcement was made by the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry on Thursday morning. This comes after reports said Dr Silviu Ionescu was charged with manslaughter by Romanian authorities on Wednesday. Romanian media reports quoting the general prosecutor's office said Dr Ionescu faces three charges for manslaughter, for fleeing the scene, and for giving false statements. Dr Ionescu was previously his country's Charge d'Affaires in Singapore. Singapore Police said that on 15 December 2009, the embassy car driven by Dr Ionescu hit three pedestrians in two separate incidents in Bukit Panjang. One of the pedestrians

Nadia Comaneci The first perfect 10.0 on the uneven bars in Montreal 1976. The display buay tahan already. No extra digits so her score became 1.00! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tl0kE7Oels You can see how tense her competitor from USSR Nellie Kim is. Here again in Montreal 1976 on the balance beam. Here is the floor routine from Montreal 1976 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B6IOpduitQ I'm afraid the video is pretty poor in quality but you can make out the smile as she does the floor routine. More like she is having fun than competing. Her book Letters to a young gymnast is available in the NLB. It is a good read and it does tell you the bleakness in a commie country. Also tells you how came to be under husband and wife coach Karolyis. In the end, both the Karolyis fled Romania to the US. Nadia made her escape in 1989.

ROMANIAN diplomat Silviu Ionescu, who might have been involved in a hit-and-run accident here, has made a U-turn and told journalists in his home country that he will not be returning to Singapore after all. Last week, he had said he would come back some time this month, after seeking medical treatment for diabetes at home. Yesterday, he said his statement had been misunderstood. http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNew...108-190489.html now theres nothing even spf or minister can do! :angry:

Dr Silviu Ionescu, charge d'affaires of the Romanian Embassy, has reportedly said that he was not involved in a fatal hit-and-run incident involving an embassy car. He said he will return to Singapore later this month to assist in investigations. Dr Ionescu is believed to be able to further assist with the tragic double hit-and-run accident that occured along Bukit Panjang Road on Dec 15. Three pedestrians were hit in the accident. One of the three, 30-year-old Mr Tong Kok Wai, has since passed away. At the time of the accident, Mr Tong had been married to Madam Yenni Young for just a month. He was taken off life support on Christmas Day, after suffering severe brain damage in the accident Central to the incident is a black Audi A6 belonging to the Romanian embassy. Dr Ionescu had earlier said that he was the last official to use the car involved in the accident. According to a report published in The New Paper, his reasons for returning to Romania were for medical tests, scheduled in advance as he has diabetes.

Probe will be 'thorough' THE police are carrying out "very thorough" investigations into the hit-and-run accident linked to a Romanian diplomat, said Foreign Minister George Yeo on Monday. Speaking to reporters at the Indonesian Embassy after signing the condolence book for former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, who died last week, Mr Yeo said: "What happened was very bad. A man was killed. People were injured. The police are pursuing the matter very thoroughly but investigations are still ongoing and I shall not be commenting on them." Asked when would the matter be resolved as it has been over two weeks since the accident happened on Dec 15, Mr Yeo said: "The Police are not sitting on their hands." http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNew...104-189676.html George Yeo stresses due process in resolving hit

...... drum roll please The ambassador / minister Silviu Ionescu! Link from Chinese news For those who can't understand Chinese, I will roughly translate the 1st paragraph. It says there is insider news regarding the hit and run accident. Zaobao understands the car may not be stolen afterall. The driver is suspected to be the perosn who reported the car stolen to the police, (minister) Silviu Ionescu

we can't change the law, but at least we can vote in MCF about this sad case.