Ex-envoy not protected by immunity Click on thumbnail to view
For more photos, click here.

Dr Ionescu is not compelled to return to Singapore because there is no Extradition Treaty (ET) between Singapore and Romania.

It is not because he enjoys diplomatic immunity, said the Romanian government.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said this in response to media queries regarding the issue of diplomatic immunity.

Singapore has asked the Romanian government to do what it can to persuade (and not arrest or compel) Dr Ionescu that it is in his own interest and in Romania's interest, to return to Singapore to stand trial.

As Dr Ionescu is no longer serving as the Charge d'Affaires of the Romanian Embassy in Singapore, his immunity for acts performed outside of his function as a diplomat would have lapsed.

It is clear from the findings of the Coroner's Inquiry that the acts for which Dr Ionescu has been charged were not pursuant to his official functions.

Dr Ionescu was using the Embassy vehicle in his private capacity and for his private purposes. As such, with effect from Dr Ionescu's recall, he no longer enjoys diplomatic immunity for the acts in question.

Therefore, there was no need for a waiver of diplomatic immunity by Romania and no need for Singapore to seek a waiver.

Ex-envoy makes "wild babblings" in Romanian interview

In a recent interview with Romanian tabloid Libertatea, Dr Silviu Ionescu , has made statements the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) have termed "wild babblings"

When asked by the media about the interview MFA Spokesman said: "We cannot take the wild babblings of a desperate man too cowardly to face up to his own responsibilities seriously."

In the interview, the former charge d'affaires said he would be hanged if he returned to Singapore, where the prosecution has prepared 13 criminal charges against him.

He claimed to have been targeted by the Singapore Government and had long asked for a transfer to a new posting - even if it was Moldova, Romania's smaller neighbour in Eastern Europe.

In an online translation posted on a Singapore news website, Ionescu was quoted as saying, "If I were to be judged in Singapore, I would hang. I know, for drunk-driving accidents, Singapore condemns you to death by hanging."