Alexandru Muraru criticizes the SRI’s reaction to Ludovic Orban’s statements: “The intelligence services must not engage in public wars with politicians!”

The leader of the Iași PNL branch, Alexandru Muraru, criticized on Wednesday the public reaction of the Romanian Intelligence Service to statements by former Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, describing it as “a disproportionate attack.” Muraru argues that the message risks damaging the SRI’s credibility and the public’s trust in the institution’s political neutrality.

In a statement published on Facebook, the lawmaker said that intelligence services should not engage in public disputes with politicians and that the SRI’s mission is to defend national security, the state, and the citizens of Romania, not to sanction political discourse.

Muraru distinguished between clarifying factual information and becoming involved in a political dispute. He criticized the language used by the SRI to describe Orban’s statements and accused it of selective public reactions. In this context, he cited the allegations presented in a Recorder documentary by former minister Dan Vîlceanu, as well as criticism concerning the rise of extremism and influence operations ahead of the first round of the 2024 presidential elections.

A former member of the parliamentary committee overseeing the SRI’s activities, Muraru called on the Service’s leadership to explain who authorized the communication and whether its effects on public perceptions of the institution’s neutrality had been assessed. He stressed that the services must accept democratic oversight and maintain discretion, proportionality, and self-restraint.