The 2017 Activity Report of the National Anticorruption Directorate

The Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, presented on Wednesday the institutions 2017 activity report

Ştefan Stoica, 01.03.2018, 15:05

The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis says the figures presented are telling of the efficiency of the anticorruption prosecutors and contradict the report on the basis of which the Justice Minister called for the dismissal of the head of the directorate.

According to the report presented by Laura Codruta Kovesi, last year, anticorruption prosecutors solved more than 3,800 cases, a record since the setting up of the institution. Also, some 1,000 people were sent to court, and, based on the indictments drawn up by the anticorruption prosecutors, the courts gave final sentences for 700 people.

The share of acquittals was 12%, of which one quarter following the ruling of the Constitutional Court concerning the meaning of abuse of office. The head of the Directorate also stressed the fact that 2017 was a difficult year for the fight against corruption, which was faced with numerous challenges. There were, Kovesi said, attempts at changing the legislation by decriminalizing certain acts, by eliminating investigation tools or amending prosecutors status. She stressed the fact that the Directorate worked in a transparent manner, always substantiating its decisions.

Laura Codruta Kovesi: “We do not make the law, we apply it. However, when changes are made that can influence our activity, we are obliged to express our stand on the risks and vulnerabilities that might be created by such changes. We are against legislation getting weaker, eliminating tools that are effective in proving that serious offences have been committed, such as acts of corruption. Our plea is for a stable legislation and independent prosecutors, because this independence is an incorruptible value.

The presentation of the report was made against the background of the fierce battle that is underway in the justice field. The Justice Minister Tudorel Toader started last week a procedure to dismiss the head of the National Anticorruption Directorate, blaming her for seriously overstepping her responsibilities, putting pressure on the Government and on the good functioning of state institutions, deliberately slowing down certain processes and failing to react when verifications regarding certain prosecutors were requested.

The Superior Council of Magistracy has issued a negative opinion on the request for Mrs. Kovesis dismissal. Although the councils opinion is only advisory, it comes in line with the one stated by the countrys president Klaus Iohannis, who will have the final say in the matter. Attending on Wednesday the presentation of the 2017 report, he stated that the figures, presented in an objective manner, were more evidence that the National Anticorruption Directorate was an effective institution, fighting on the front line of the war against corruption for years.

The 2017 results contradict the evaluation made by minister Toader, termed by president Iohannis as subjective, tendentious and biased. The head of state criticized what he described as virulent manifestations and attempts at damaging the credibility of the National Anticorruption Directorate.

President Klaus Iohannis: “A bunch of criminal offenders, after being caught by the state institutions breaking the law, have joined forces to discredit those who prosecuted them. All these attempts, though skillfully maneuvered in the media, have no chance of success. They are living in the past, still believing that power means privileges and is manifested through abuse.

Possibly targeted by the presidents criticism, Liviu Dragnea, the head of the main party in the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic Party, has replied: “This is a false statement. If he continues like that, he will make a mistake.

For those who were still wondering, its quite clear that the war over justice continues.