Bucharest City Council yesterday unveiled two new sets of traffic lights on Soseaua Kiseleff, the street that has become something of a mad mile in recent times, with two young girls being killed by reckless drivers here in less than a year. The latest death came on Saturday, when a speeding Austrian diplomat killed a 23 year old girl while she was on a pedestrian crossing. This comes after the now infamous incident almost a year ago (and in exactly the same place) when the wealthy and well-connected business woman Anamaria Straus killed a young student.
Much has been made over the weekend of the diplomatic immunity enjoyed by the Austrian diplomat involved in Saturday’s accident. Though questioned by police immediately after the accident he cannot be charged unless the Austrian authorities withdraw his diplomatic status. In all likeliness he will be charged in Austria. In a similar case four years ago a Romanian musician, Teo Peter, was killed by US marine, drunk, and who likewise enjoyed diplomatic immunity. The marine was later tried for manslaughter in the US, but was cleared.
With many Romanians now fearing history will repeat itself, some have called for the authorities to simply charge and arrest the Austrian diplomat, ignoring diplomatic protocol.
All well and good. Yet what about Straus? A year on she has yet to be tried for any offence, and walks free. Though not a diplomat she clearly has some kind of immunity…
So why does nobody make a fuss about revoking her special status?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, I already spoke to my bank in the US. I just have to launch a dispute and they will get me the money back. The Romanian bank committed fraud and this is why many banks in the US do not even allow you to use your debit card here in Romania. I don’t expect a Romanian bank official to believe anything I say. What is kind of funny is the screen actually said ‘you will not be charged for this transaction’. I have never seen that message before. Usually, either the ATM is working or it says ‘out of order’ this time it took 3 minutes to process and then put my card back out with no money. I. too, have never had this happen before. But where did it!? Romania!
I remember using an ATM years ago in Bacau, which at the time was about the only one in the city. Having got out some cash, I was in a hurry and forgot to take the card; I realised this the next day when I saw it missing from my wallet. I went to the bank, told what had happened, and so they opened up the machine, took out my card and handed it back to me. No ID needed!
This is rather odd, Davin, and I for one have not heard of it before. Usually if the ATM spits card out without the cash, it does not charge one’s account. Maybe it is a good idea to contact the bank the ATM belongs to and to have them check their records match the cash they have in the ATM. If it was located in one of their branch offices, check that. If not or if they play the typical “do not know” thing, contact the bank’s hotline or such. If you leave it to when you get back to the US, they will tell you that – according to their records – you have taken cash out in Romania (which is true as far as they are concerned) and your chances of getting the money back will be small.
More vehicular homicide goes unpunished here in Bucharest? Romania is a fundamentally flawed place and I really don’t feel sorry anymore for the country. It is its own worst enemy. Start playing by the rules people and you will be amazed by the good that appears. This is another wake up call for me, a pedestrian who does not own a car here. The police should actually do their job and pull over the drag racing BMWs I saw on b-dul Balcescu last night. In the US those guys would have lost their licenses. Romania is the oddest country I’ve ever visited. I went to go get 400 Lei out of the ATM the other day and instead the machine spit my card back out after 3 minutes with no cash. When I checked my balance online it showed that I had indeed been charged! I spoke with my bank back in the US and they said I will have to begin a dispute when I am back there! So, a Romanian bank robs me of $120 for the time being! I have traveled to many countries and this has never happened. May that 23 year-old rest in peace.