Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu denies having had relationship with Omar Hayssam, the Syrian businessman who was convicted of terrorism.

Ciolacu told a press conference on Tuesday, in Craiova, that the image in which he appears next to the Syrian was cut out from a larger picture taken at a hunt 25 years ago.

„I had no relationship, I was at a hunt where Omar Hayssam was also invited and, from a huge picture, as one does when the hunt is over, with the game in front and the hunters around, it was cut out and it remained… Do you know when that picture was taken? 25 years ago. If I can go back to 30 years ago, I will do it with pleasure,” said Marcel Ciolacu, PSD candidate for the Romanian Presidency.

Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu was in southern Craiova on Tuesday on a visit to the Softronic company to see the first two electric locomotives produced for CFR with funds under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

AGERPRES