Civil servants not allowed to accept expensive gifts

The civil servants will have to declare the presents they received, including those intended for their families, relatives, friends of other persons with whom they had business or political relations, which can affect the correct and impartial fulfillment of their duties. A bill to this effect was approved by the Government on August 17, Info-Prim Neo reports. The bill regulates the professional activity of public servants. The symbolic gifts offered out of politeness or on the occasion of certain protocol activities and whose value does not exceed the limit that the executive will set later make an exception. The presents whose value will exceed the given limit will be transmitted to the public authorities and will be included in a special register, while the relevant information will be public. If the servants pay the value of the present, they may keep it and the given fact will be indicated in the register. The bill says that when a servant is given a present, they must inform their superiors about this and, in the presence of witnesses, specify this fact in the register. Minister of Justice Oleg Efrim said the civil servants who will accept expensive presents may be fired or fined 2 000 to 10 000 lei.