Laura Codruta Kovesi, the chief prosecutor of Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), will answer before the Superior Magistracy Council’s Prosecutor Section after the Judicial Inspection opened a disciplinary action against her.

The Superior Magistracy Council (CSM) is the institution that guarantees justice independence in Romania and sanctions magistrate misbehavior. The Judicial Inspection investigates possible misbehavior by magistrates.

Last year, the Judicial Inspection carried out a control at the DNA after recordings of alleged internal DNA meetings were leaked to the press. These recordings, whose authenticity hasn’t been clearly determined, include several controversial statements Kovesi allegedly made during internal meetings. She has been recorded advising the DNA prosecutors to accelerate the cases involving top politicians and asking them to come up with a case against former prime minister Sorin Grindeanu. She also allegedly used offensive language when talking about the Constitutional Court’s decisions and about the activity of some prosecutors.

However, the DNA challenged the authenticity of these recordings and said they had been edited.

DNA, which has sent some important politicians behind bars since Kovesi took office in 2013, has been at the center of several scandals in the past year. While the institution has been attacked by ruling coalition politicians, some of its own prosecutors also launched allegations against the DNA chief.

In February, a local politician who stands trial for corruption released audio recordings showing alleged abuses by prosecutors of the DNA office in Ploiesti. According to the recordings, the prosecutors asked the politicians to come up with false denouncements against former prime minister Victor Ponta and other top politicians. After these allegations hit the media, Kovesi held a press conference and dismissed the allegations.

Amid this scandal, justice minister Tudorel Toader asked that Kovesi should be revoked and presented a report including the allegations against her that have circulated in the past year. However, CSM’s prosecutor section issued a negative opinion on his request. President Klaus Iohannis still needs to decide if he revokes Kovesi or not.

editor@romania-insider.com