Romania's council on declassifying communist-era secret police files has asked a Bucharest court to officially confirm Romania's ambassador in Sofia, Anton Păcureţu, as a collaborator of the Securitate, Romania's feared communist secret police.

Under a ruling of Romania's constitutional court from 2008, the National Council for Studying the Securitate Archives (NCSSA) cannot itself declare whether an individual collaborated with the Securitate, but had to instead file a request with a court, presenting any proof it has to that end.

NCSSA did not find any proof that Păcureţu was a collaborator in the Securitate archives, but there were reports written by his contact officers, all of them written in glowing terms and mentioned that Păcureţu filed more than one report, daily Cotidianul said on August 25.

The Bucharest court of appeal will hold the first hearing in NCSSA's lawsuit on January 26 2010, the newspaper said.

Păcureţu, 43, became Romania's ambassador to Bulgaria in August 2009 after 15 years with the Romanian diplomatic corps. His previous posting was as adviser at Romania's permanent UN mission in Geneva.

Cotidianul said it could not contact Păcureţu for comment, but quoted a statement by the Romanian foreign ministry, which said that it would decide on the incumbent ambassador's future with the ministry once the court reached a decision.

NCSSA filed several lawsuits on August 24, including one against an MP and a former foreign ministry adviser, who is accused of making reports to the Securitate while on a diplomatic posting at the Romanian embassy in Belgrade.