Judge Forum withdraws from Iordache committee sessions, warning amendments aim at weakening judiciary

The Judge Forum Association in Romania has announced in a press release that it is withdrawing from the sessions of the special parliamentary committee, aka Iordache committee, set up to amend the justice laws, accusing that the committee’s aim doesn’t seem to improve justice laws, but it is rather „am ample process of weakening judiciary”, which is now considered “guilty for the numerous criminal convictions among politicians in the past years.”

The judges forum warns that some the tabled amendments, such as the ones on the „bad faith” and „serious negligence” in the case of magistrates, are turning some disciplinary offences with low social risk into crimes having sentences similar to the ones given for murder, or even longer than other deeds such as grand larceny, manslaughter, pimping, piracy or corruption crimes.
„Other amendments are placing judges and prosecutors in the company of the organized crime groups, on the same level with pimps and slavers, loan sharks and smugglers,” the judges argue.

The association also asks the Superior Council of Magistracy to take note of these controversial amendments which, they say, are harming the independence and the credibility of judiciary, risking to undermine its authority.

At the same time, the Association has insistently called on the Romanian President and the parliament speakers to consult the Venice Commission on some current aspects related to the amendments operated on the criminal laws in Romania, saying the debates of the special committee must be adjourned until the Venice Commission give its opinion.