The Romanian diplomat linked to a hit-and-run case was spotted in a car with an Asian woman less than an hour before the accident on Dec 15.
The Straits Times understands he is believed to have dropped off a woman, said to be a Korean national, at her home in Bukit Timah at about 2.30am.
About 40 minutes later, the embassy car, a black Audi A6, hit three men in Bukit Panjang and then sped off. One of them has since died.
Yesterday, an eyewitness claimed he saw Romanian charge d’affaires Silviu Ionescu leaving Peace Centre in Selegie with a woman in an Audi A6 that morning. The 49-year-old man told Lianhe Wanbao that the embassy car, sporting diplomatic plates, had pulled up to his left at a traffic junction.
The long-haired passenger in a white dress, who looked to be in her 20s, was quarrelling with Dr. Ionescu, he claimed. The altercation was so serious that the Audi did not budge even when the lights turned green. Only after the cars behind had sounded their horns for almost a minute did the vehicle speed off in the direction of Bukit Timah, he added.
Dr. Ionescu, 49, earlier told reporters he had visited a karaoke lounge in Peace Centre to meet some businessmen, and that he was back at the embassy by about 1.30am to do some work after that.
He said he came out of the embassy at 3am and saw that the car was gone. He made a police report.
The car was later found abandoned in Sungei Kadut, an industrial area about 5km from the accident scene. Dr. Ionescu flew back to Romania a few days after the accident.
In the past week, evidence has surfaced, casting doubt on his claims.
A taxi driver told The Straits Times last week that he had picked up Dr. Ionescu in Sungei Kadut at about 3.30am, 20 minutes after the accident.
Dr. Ionescu directed the cabby, who wanted to be known only as Mr. Neo, to drive him to a River Valley condominium, where he lived. The diplomat’s return at about 4.10am was witnessed by those at the condominium.
Last night, Dr. Ionescu told Click!, one of the top tabloids in Romania, that he would return to Singapore this month. He speculated that thieves had forced down the window of the Audi to get to the spare key inside the car. It is understood that the car bore no signs of a break-in.
The diplomat also claimed the thieves had caused the accident, Click! reported. He said that when he could not find his car, he boarded a taxi and told the driver to take him to a police station a couple of minutes away.
But he asked to alight when the driver drove on for more than 10 minutes. He boarded a second taxi, ostensibly the vehicle that took him from Sungei Kadut back to his home. During the journey, he called the police to report the missing car.
He said he was back in Romania for check-ups on his diabetic condition, and added that there will be a meeting today at Romania’s Foreign Affairs Ministry on this matter.
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Woman was in Audi before accident
Romanian envoy says he’ll be back by end-Jan
By Teh Joo Lin
04 January 2010
The Romanian diplomat linked to a hit-and-run case was spotted in a car with an Asian woman less than an hour before the accident on Dec 15.
The Straits Times understands he is believed to have dropped off a woman, said to be a Korean national, at her home in Bukit Timah at about 2.30am.
About 40 minutes later, the embassy car, a black Audi A6, hit three men in Bukit Panjang and then sped off. One of them has since died.
Yesterday, an eyewitness claimed he saw Romanian charge d’affaires Silviu Ionescu leaving Peace Centre in Selegie with a woman in an Audi A6 that morning. The 49-year-old man told Lianhe Wanbao that the embassy car, sporting diplomatic plates, had pulled up to his left at a traffic junction.
The long-haired passenger in a white dress, who looked to be in her 20s, was quarrelling with Dr. Ionescu, he claimed. The altercation was so serious that the Audi did not budge even when the lights turned green. Only after the cars behind had sounded their horns for almost a minute did the vehicle speed off in the direction of Bukit Timah, he added.
Dr. Ionescu, 49, earlier told reporters he had visited a karaoke lounge in Peace Centre to meet some businessmen, and that he was back at the embassy by about 1.30am to do some work after that.
He said he came out of the embassy at 3am and saw that the car was gone. He made a police report.
The car was later found abandoned in Sungei Kadut, an industrial area about 5km from the accident scene. Dr. Ionescu flew back to Romania a few days after the accident.
In the past week, evidence has surfaced, casting doubt on his claims.
A taxi driver told The Straits Times last week that he had picked up Dr. Ionescu in Sungei Kadut at about 3.30am, 20 minutes after the accident.
Dr. Ionescu directed the cabby, who wanted to be known only as Mr. Neo, to drive him to a River Valley condominium, where he lived. The diplomat’s return at about 4.10am was witnessed by those at the condominium.
Last night, Dr. Ionescu told Click!, one of the top tabloids in Romania, that he would return to Singapore this month. He speculated that thieves had forced down the window of the Audi to get to the spare key inside the car. It is understood that the car bore no signs of a break-in.
The diplomat also claimed the thieves had caused the accident, Click! reported. He said that when he could not find his car, he boarded a taxi and told the driver to take him to a police station a couple of minutes away.
But he asked to alight when the driver drove on for more than 10 minutes. He boarded a second taxi, ostensibly the vehicle that took him from Sungei Kadut back to his home. During the journey, he called the police to report the missing car.
He said he was back in Romania for check-ups on his diabetic condition, and added that there will be a meeting today at Romania’s Foreign Affairs Ministry on this matter.
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