BUCHAREST — Singapore is closely watching the trial of a Romanian diplomat charged with manslaughter following a hit-and-run car accident in the city state and wants "justice" to be done, a Singapore envoy in Romania said on Wednesday.
"The Singapore government is still watching what is happening very closely", envoy Anil Kumar Nayar told AFP as the trial of a Romanian charge d'affaires accused of killing a man in a car accident in Singapore in 2009 is scheduled to restart on Wednesday.
"The most important thing for us is that we want to make sure that justice is done and we have a commitment from the Romanian government as well that they too would like to see that justice is done", the Brussels-based envoy added while waiting for the hearing to start at a Bucharest tribunal.
Silviu Ionescu, a former charge d'affaires in Singapore, has been charged with manslaughter, causing physical injuries and making false statements after a deadly car accident in December 2009 in Singapore.
The diplomat is alleged to have hit three pedestrians while driving a car belonging to the Romanian mission.
One of them, a 30-year-old Malaysian national, suffered brain damage and died on Christmas Day. Ionescu is also alleged to have fled the scene.
However he denies he was the driver and says the car was stolen.
"I hope I will be acquitted and I have confidence in the Romanian justice system", he told AFP before the hearing.
After being held for seven months in preventive custody, Ionescu was released from detention in November pending his trial.
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