Reactions after Recorder investigation
Hundreds of people protested in front of Romania’s Superior Court of Magistracy in Bucharest on Wednesday after an investigation into the state of the country’s legal system. The protesters called for resignations, responsibility and an independent justice
Mihai Pelin, 11.12.2025, 14:00
An investigation by Recorder, a publication created and supported by journalists, entitled ‘Captured Justice’ aired on Wednesday night including by the national TV channel, triggered a series of protests in front of justice institutions and political reactions at the highest level.
Revelations about the machinations through which the Romanian legal system had been captured by a group of interests made up by some magistrates and some politicians, as the investigation says, made hundreds of people to take to the streets and gather in front of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) in Bucharest.
The protesters, who chanted “Justice, not mafia!”, and “No Statutes of Limitation for Corruption!” also called for the resignation of the Chief of the Supreme Court, Lia Savonea, of the CSM board and the incumbent Interior Minister and former Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu. Similar events took place in Cluj-Napoca (northwestern Romania), where people protested in front of the local court.
The aforementioned documentary is compressing in two hours more than a year and a half of investigative work regarding a possible agreement between some politicians and some magistrates. According to the authors, the politicians provided laws, which enabled a pyramidal organization of the country’s legal system, placing power in the hands of a small group, which in exchange provided a type of justice, which no longer bothers the powerful.
The documentary includes testimonies by ex and incumbent magistrates who are speaking about cases in which some defendants benefited from trials prolonged until the statute of limitations expired. The extension of proceedings was achieved through the replacement of judicial panels by court leadership, including changes made right before the verdict was due.
The Court of Appeal in Bucharest reacted promptly and described as ‘denigrating and without factual evidence’ the statements by judge, Ionel Laurenţiu Beşu, one of the magistrates who spoke with Recorder journalists. In turn president Nicuşor Dan says the politicians are to be blamed for having diminished the anti-graft fight, but he also says, ‘neither are the magistrates taking responsibility to change the system”.
The president has said he watched the documentary on the situation in the country’s legal system adding the solutions to the issues facing the system could also be found inside the system itself.
“The cases presented have to be investigated and the culprits punished, also by the justice system and on evidence,” the head of the Romanian state says. He has announced the presidency is working on a data report about the issues presently affecting the legal system. “I invite all magistrates to write to me directly about the problems they are facing” the president went on to say. Romania’s Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has also invited the magistrates for talks, adding that he will analyze the information published. He will also hold talks with the incumbent Interior Minister, Cătălin Predoiu, over his mandate as a Justice Minister. However, he explains that he cannot sack a minister for his past activity, since no direct responsibility has been identified. If the information proves accurate, there is a need for significant legislative changes, the Prime Minister also said.
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