Court Doubles Sentence of Former Romanian Diplomat in Singapore Hit-and-Run Case

Originally published on February 14, 2014

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A former Romanian diplomat convicted for a deadly hit-and-run accident in Singapore in 2009 had his sentence doubled to six years by an appeals court in Bucharest, after a prosecutor argued it was 'too lenient.'

A black Audi A6 belonging to the Romanian embassy was involved in a hit and run accident at 3:00 a.m. on December 15, 2009 that injured three pedestrians. One of them, a 30-year-old Malaysian man died after eventually being taken off life support.

Romanian diplomat Silviu Ionescu said he last saw the vehicle at 1:30 a.m. the night of the incident. Later, a cab driver also testified to picking up Ionescu at around 3:30 a.m. The diplomat was said to have been calling the police to report the missing car.

Ionescu left Singapore at the end of the month that year, citing a diabetes check-up.

Singapore police uncovered evidence suggesting that Ionescu was the hit-and-run driver and a warrant for his arrest was issued by Interpol.

Ionescu was found guilty by the Bucharest Court of Appeal in 2013, but had his sentence doubled to six years in 2014.

"The Bucharest Court of Appeal delivered its verdict on the appeal relating to the hit-and-run case of Dr Silviu Ionescu, the former Romanian Chargé d'Affaires in Singapore, on February 13, 2014," a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said in a statement.
The former diplomat still denies his involvement in the fatal accident, saying he was framed for critical reports he had sent to the Romanian foreign ministry regarding Singapore.

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