The Justice Ministry has begun the process to select the country’s prosecutor general, as well as the prosecutors and deputy prosecutors who will lead the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) and the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), Hotnews.ro reported.

The mandates of Alex Florența, the prosecutor general, and of Marius Voineag, the head prosecutor of DNA, end in March. They were appointed for three-year mandates during the term of president Klaus Iohannis. They both can hold another mandate.

The selection of prosecutors is scheduled to take place by March 2. Applicants can register for the selection process by February 9. The list of candidates who fulfill the required criteria will be published on February 16, while the interviews for the job will be held between February 23 and February 26. The results of the interviews will be made available on March 2, when the Justice Ministry will also send the proposals for review to the Superior Magistracy Council (CSM). If the CSM notice is positive, the Justice Ministry then sends the proposals to president Nicușor Dan for approval. 

Other appointments expected this year are those of the heads of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) and of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE). SRI has been under interim management for more than two years since Eduard Hellvig, who led the institution on a mandate that began in 2015, resigned from the post in July 2023. The mandate of Gabriel Vlase, who leads the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE), ends this year.

President Nicușor Dan, who is tasked with making both appointments, had previously said he was interested in building political consensus around the appointees to secure the required votes for approval by Parliament.

He is expected to negotiate with PSD the judicial and intelligence appointments, sources told G4media, as the party has the highest number of MPs and its representative is the justice minister.

(Photo: Cateyeperspective/ Dreamstime)

simona@romania-insider.com