Chamber of Deputies passes modified justice laws

Power and Opposition at odds over content and procedure

Ştefan Stoica, 21.03.2018, 13:31

The Parliament majority made up of the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats on Tuesday adopted the modified justice laws. The right-wing opposition has criticised both the laws and the hasty manner in which they were passed. In the modified form, the laws comply with the latest rulings of the Constitutional Court.

Opposition parties have already made public their intention to refer them again to the Court, claiming they had not enough time to properly examine the changes operated by Parliaments special committee. Outraged with the way in which the Parliament majority rushes legislation through, Save Romania Union MPs staged an ample protest in Parliament, occupying the space around the Parliament tribune, dressed in white T-shirts displaying the message “No more criminals in public office. Save Romania Union president Dan Barna told us more:

Dan Barna: “We chose to wear these T-shirts in order to convey a message that Romanian society has been voicing for over a year. If we hadnt had criminals holding public offices, today we would be discussing matters that can actually make a difference for Romania.

In turn, the National Liberal Party in opposition criticised the Social-Democrats for seeking to politicise the judiciary. Liberal MP Catalin Predoiu:

Catalin Predoiu: “The justice laws promoted by the Social-Democratic Party are basically the epitome of the futility, fixation and anxieties related to the functioning of the justice system. Parliamentary regulations have been violated today, as the debate started in the Chamber of Deputies before the committee even finished drafting the reports. This whole thing is a sham.

The chairman of Parliaments special committee for the modification of the justice laws is the Social-Democrat Florin Iordache, the very man who last year passed a highly controversial emergency government decree, during his term as Justice Minister, which partly decriminalised abuse of office. The decision was met at the time with massive street protests against the perceived attempt by the political circles to hijack the justice system. Responding to the oppositions accusations, Florin Iordache said MPs simply re-examined the three laws to bring them in line with the recommendations of the Constitutional Court, and only discussed those articles that had been declared unconstitutional.

Florin Iordache: “We have been under constant fire for our alleged attempt to politicise the justice system. Before criticising us, read the Courts ruling. It specifically says that none of the three laws affects the independence of the judiciary in any way, and the changes fully comply with the rulings of the Venice Commission.

One of the main modifications brought to the justice laws removes the presidents authority to appoint and dismiss the leaders of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, which under the new law will become the remit of the Superior Council of Magistracy. Another change states that ongoing investigations into magistrates will become the responsibility of a special Department for Investigating Justice-related Crimes, as soon as it becomes operational.

(translated by: Vlad Palcu)