The Social Democrat Party leaders convened for the National Standing Bureau meeting on Monday have not discussed about the Justice minister’s situation or decided if they are still endorsing Tudorel Toader for this position.
This comes amid the ruling party’s pressures on the minister to provide more amendments on the justice laws. However, sources told Digi24 that Toader would have received an ultimatum: he will either be dismissed, or he resigns if he refuses to draft the emergency ordinance ton the criminal codes and on the revision of the final rulings. Last week, the Social Democrat MPs refused to attend the session voting the simple motion against Tudorel Toader, announcing that they will tackle the issue in the coalition.
Justice minister hasn’t attended the Mondya’s meeting, a meeting where PM Dancila and PSD chairman Dragnea have taken part.
PM Dancila has stated that she hasn’t seen the text of any ordinance on the justice, thus contradicting minister Toader, who used to say he had sent the ordinances on amending the criminal codes, but the opportunity of promoting them is not falling under his task.
„I, as minister, together with my colleagues in the ministry, are drafting the bills. And we have drafted them. But the moment, the opportunity to promote the emergency ordinance drafts is not my task. The opportunity is not mine as Justice minister,” Toader said last week.
PM Viorica Dancila said on Monday that the situation of minister Toader had not bee discussed, and that he has to have the political endorsement, besides the PM’s one.
„It is the right of every colleague o say his stance. This is democracy. We haven’t’ talked about the Justice minister or about judiciary. We are very concerned about the 2019 budget, that’s why we’ll hold the government sitting tomorrow”, Dancila stated.
She said that Dragnea will talk about Toader. “Besides the PM’s support, every minister needs to also have the political endorsement”, the premier added.
Dragnea: Neither me nor PSD have done anything against magistrates
On the other hand, referring to the recent protests staged by magistrates or actors against GEO 7, PSD chair Liviu Dragnea said on Monday that neither him nor the party had done anything against magistrates, adding he won’t know by which methods the judiciary could be politically subordinated.
“I support magistrates, too, and I am endorsing them with all my might. I don’t see why I would not endorse them. Neither me nor PSD have done anything against magistrates. On the contrary, I supported them with pay rises, support for infrastructure investments, I supported their pension rights and we all helped, as far as we could, to draft laws that should increase the independence of the magistrates, that should protect judges of all abuses that had come out and that would probably still come out,” Dragnea told a press conference.