Romania’s defense minister resigns after scandal involving the falsification of his university degree
Romanian Defense Minister Ionuț Moșteanu announced his resignation on Friday after saying he had made a “mistake” in his resume about his university degree, as controversy over his false information escalated.
Moșteanu, who admitted in his autobiography that he graduated from a university he never attended, said he did not want the controversy to distract the NATO member state at a time when it and Europe are under “Russian attack”.
In a Facebook post, Moșteanu said: “Today, I resigned from my position as Minister of National Defense… Romania and Europe are under Russian attack… Our national security must be defended with all we can”.
Moșteanu came under pressure after a media investigation published on Thursday revealed that his resume contained incorrect information.
On the same day, he apologized for what he called a “mistake that I admit embarrasses me” and said he had prepared his resume in 2016 using a form he found online.
Moșteanu was appointed defense minister in June in a new pro-European government after months of political turmoil.
Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said in a statement that he would propose that Economy and Tourism Minister Radu Miruta take over the defense post temporarily.
