February 27, 2018 UPDATE

Higher Council of Magistracy says chief-prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Directorate should not be dismissed

Newsroom, 27.02.2018, 19:53

JUSTICE – Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toaders formal request for the dismissal of the head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, was rejected on Tuesday by the Higher Council of Magistracy. Chief prosecutor Kovesi has said that all accusations levelled at her by Minister Toader are ungrounded. She has also said that, since taking over the position of chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate in 2013, the institution has had the best results since its setting up. The Justice Minister accused Kovesi of having seriously violated her duty, delaying resolutions to cases, failure to investigate prosecutors, defying Parliament and contesting decisions of the Constitutional Court. At the Higher Council of Magistracy’s meeting on Tuesday, Laura Codruta Kovesi answered all 20 points included in Minister Toader’s report based on which he had asked for chief prosecutor’s dismissal. After deliberation, the Higher Council of Magistracy decided that chief-prosecutor Kovesi should not be dismissed. The Councils endorsement is consultative in nature, with the final decision lying in the hands of President Klaus Iohannis. The latters first reaction was to say that there were no solid reasons to remove the head anti-corruption prosecutor. General Prosecutor of Romania, Augustin Lazar, is on Kovesis side, joined by a majority of anti-corruption prosecutors. Protests have been held almost daily in Bucharest and major cities against the dismissal.

VISIT — Frans Timmermans, Vice-President of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Better Regulation, Interinstitutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, is paying an official visit to Romania on Thursday. He will have meetings with President Klaus Iohannis, PM Viorica Dancila, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea and the Speaker of the Senate, Calin Popescu Tariceanu. The European official will hold a press conference at the headquarters of the European Commission Representation in Bucharest. In a statement for the portal caleaeuropeana.ro, Timmermans said he was expecting the Bucharest authorities to explain him the proposal to dismiss the chief prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi.

CHISINAU – Romanian PM Viorica Dancila held talks in Chisinau with her Moldovan counterpart, Pavel Filip, for bolstering bilateral cooperation. They reviewed the stage of economic cooperation, especially in trade and energy. The two prime ministers met representatives of the Siret-Prut-Dnestr Euroregion, as well as representatives of the Association of Romanian Investors in the Republic of Moldova. She also held a meeting with the speaker of the Parliament of Moldova, Adrian Candu. The PM emphasized the constant and firm support that Romania has for Moldova, urging officials there to continue their structural reforms, as stipulated by the association agreement between Chisinau and the EU, signed in 2014. On Monday in Brussels, after the EU Foreign Affairs Council, Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu made similar pledges. He chaired a meeting of the Group for the European Action of the Republic of Moldova, also attended by Moldovan Foreign Minister Tudor Ulyanovsky.

PROSECUTION — The National Anti-Corruption Directorate called on the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Romania to issue a mandatory jail sentence against former Social Democratic prime minister Victor Ponta. He stands accused of forging documents, conspiracy to commit tax evasion, and money laundering, in his private law practice. Ponta is prosecuted in this case alongside former Social Democratic senator Dan Sova. In the case of the latter, prosecutors have also asked for a mandatory jail sentence for complicity to abuse of power, fiscal evasion and money laundering.

EC – European commissioner for energy Miguel Arias Canete said Tuesday in Brussels that the European Commission will sue Romania at the European Court of Justice if the Parliament in Bucharest passes the amendments to the Emergency Ordinance 64/2016 on natural gas. One of the amendments stipulates that 70% of the gas produced in Romania will have to be traded only on the spot market of the OPCOM trading market. This comes in the context in which EC has already opened a lawsuit against Romania for blocking gas exports.

WEATHER — The south and east of the country, including the capital Bucharest, are under yellow and orange alert codes for very low temperatures, blizzard and snow. Temperatures are expected to go even lower in the following few days, reaching values comparable to the historical records for this region. Minimums will range between -22 and -12 degrees Celsius. Road and railroad traffic has been disrupted, with sea ports being closed. The blizzard last night has brought down power lines in dozens of localities. Several national and county roads are off limits, and two national motorways in the southeast of the country have been closed. Schools are out in Bucharest for the entire week, as well as in several southern counties.

EUROPE — At least ten people have lost their lives in the cold wave that has hit Europe these days. In Central Europe, the UK, Italy and Spain, the authorities have called on people to prepare for this so-called Moscow-Paris phenomenon, caused by cold waves from Siberia. On Monday, schools and tourist venues in Rome were closed when the first snow since 2012 fell there. In the UK, the so-called Beast from the East disrupted road, railroad and air traffic, with heavy snow warnings being issued. (Translated by Elena Enache)