The former head of the National
\nAnticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, has received the backing of
\nthe Council of the European Union in her race for the position of European
\nchief prosecutor. On Thursday the Committee of Representatives of European
\nUnion Member States gave Kovesi 17 of the 22 votes in favor. The European
\nPublic Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) will be founded next year and start its
\nactivity in 2021. According to European law, the European prosecutor is jointly
\nappointed by Parliament and the Council for a one-time seven-year term in
\noffice. Pundits say Kovesi is almost sure to take over, as the European
\nParliament has expressed its support for the Romanian candidate both in the
\nprevious and in the current tenure. Having spearheaded the fight against
\ncorruption for years, but also believed to have instrumented an abusive
\nprosecution system, Kovesi has often been labeled as Romania’s most powerful
\nwoman. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Shortly before being sacked last year in June, following a
\nConstitutional Court ruling, Kovesi admitted during a debate venued at the UN
\nheadquarters in New York, that Romania’s greatest challenge remains the
\npreservation of the independence of judges and prosecutors. There have
\nbeen repeated attempts at modifying anticorruption legislation to limit the
\nlegislative instruments used by anticorruption prosecutors or to decriminalize
\ncertain offences. There have been cases where requests to lift the immunity of
\npoliticians charged with corruption were turned down. The whole justice system
\nhas seen attacks by means of fake news or public statements aimed at weakening
\npublic credibility in the system, Kovesi said, claiming the
\nSocial-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in power
\nhave tried to rein in the fight against corruption and subordinate magistrates.
\nBeyond controversies, the facts speak volumes. In the last five years with
\nKovesi at its helm, the Directorate has prosecuted 14 ministers and former
\nministers and 53 MPs. Of these, 27 were handed final sentences. During the same
\nperiod, the Directorate seized over 2.3 million dollars in assets. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The recently
\nappointed pro-European Prime Minister in the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu,
\nhas offered Laura Codruta Kovesi the leadership of the Anti-graft Prosecutor’s
\nOffice in Moldova. Conversely, the political class in Bucharest has had
\ncontrasting reactions to Thursday’s vote. Social-Democrat Prime Minister
\nViorica Dancila and the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Calin
\nPopescu-Tariceanu have overtly expressed their discontent and reiterated
\ncriticism against Kovesi. President Klaus Iohannis and the National Liberal
\nParty and Save Romania Union in opposition have hailed Thursday’s vote, which
\nsome say they tried to take credit for. According to Mrs. Kovesi, the vote is
\nalso the result of the civic actions and street protests staged by ordinary
\ncitizens, who have constantly supported her ever since she was sacked from the
\nhelm of the Directorate, believing, as she often said, that corruption can be
\ndefeated, never give up!<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
(Translated by V. Palcu)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The former head of the National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, has become favorite to take over the European Public Prosecutor’s Office<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":82990,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[29843,31801,30855,29799,33035],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-82989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-calin-popescu-tariceanu","tag-eppo","tag-fight-against-corruption","tag-laura-codruta-kovesi","tag-viorica-dancila"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n