Allegations scandal: CSM chair tells politicians to wait for legal mechanisms to run. Prosecutor General calls on CSM to take public stance

Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) chairman, Simona Marcu, has told the politicians who, after the scandal created around the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), asked for resignations and dismissals, to wait for the legal mechanisms to run.

“They should wait for the mechanisms provided by the law to run,” Simona Marcu said on Wednesday at the end of a press statement.

CSM chairman Simona Marcu has also expressed “deep concern” about the DNA-related debates, the current situation being likely to affect Justice. “The citizen’s confidence in justice needs to be built,” Marcu said.

She added that the media institutions play a major role in general information and in reporting of possible functional problems, but their clarification lies only with state institutions.

Prosecutor General calls on CSM to take public position

Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazar, has called on CSM to take public position to defend the justice system against the campaign launched by criminally investigated people, some already sentenced, against the justice institutions.

According to a release on Wednesday, the Prosecutor’s Office upon the High Court for Cassation and Justice (ICCJ – Supreme Court), Augustin Lazar firmly rejects the generalisation of procedural incidents and of particular cases of magistrates under disciplinary investigation to the whole activity of prosecutors.

“The judicial system has rigorous legal procedures to check suspicions related to misbehaviour, including the one launched by the media,” the release reads.

Lazer also disagrees with the “public instigation actions for politicians’ intervention in order to dismiss some leading prosecutors,” by ignoring the judicial procedures and by violating the principle of separation of powers.

“The Prosecutor General expresses confidence in the capacity of the judicial system in Romania to complete its mission of making justice according to European standards. He also has confidence in the capability to self-adjusting of the judicial system, by identifying and solving the cases of misbehaviour and the procedural incidents through legal procedures. As the CVM reports reveal, Romania’s problem is not the malfunction of the judicial system, but the attempt to put an end to the fight against corruption,” the release reads.

Former DNA prosecutor Mihaiela Moraru Iorga told on Sunday private broadcaster Antena 3 TV, that the DNA chief had summoned her and asked her if she could speed up the file of a former minister whose name was rumoured for the post of prime minister.

“At the time the Prime Minister of Romania was to be appointed. The name of a former minister was rumoured. I had a file on this former minister. I do not give names, because I do not want anyone to say I damaged an investigation. I was summoned and asked if we could speed up the file. The reason was that if this gentleman becomes prime minister, Mrs. Dana Girbovan will become Minister of Justice, which would mean a disaster for us,” Mihaiela Moraru Iorga said.

Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), Laura Codruta Kovesi, said on Monday that there was no discussion with any DNA prosecutor about a file on a minister who could have become prime minister.

On the other hand, DNA has rejected the charges brought against it by former Deputy Vlad Cosma, who said the institution is ‘making’ files and presented recordings with talks he allegedly had with prosecutors Mircea Negulescu and Lucian Onea at DNA Ploiesti. Vlad Cosma showed to Antena 3 TV recordings with the two prosecutors trying to invent files based on ‘fabricated’ evidence for politicians and businessmen, among them businessman Sebastian Ghita.