Romanian judges opposed the recent naming of a prosecutor as the president of the country's Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM). Prosecutor Oana Schmidt Hăineală was voted president of CSM with a one-year mandate, after receiving 10 votes. She will be the first prosecutor to lead the CMS. Her opponent, judge Mircea Aron, received only eight votes.

The judges' section appealed the vote but the CSM plenum decided the vote was valid. The vote was however blocked last week after the plenum rejected the candidacy of Alina Ghica for the vice-president seat. The vote for VP will re-start this week. Oana Hăineală has been a prosecutor for the last 14 years and was elected member of the CSM in 2011, representing the prosecutor's offices serving courts.

The president Traian Basescu, who was present at the CSM meeting last week, reminded that the CSM has to propose the general prosecutor and the head of the Anti-Corruption Directorate. He also reminded of the judges' independence.

Oana Schmidt Hăineală, who comes from Bacau, started as a lawyer in 1998. Later on she took courses in Israel, as well as Arab language classes in Romania. She is a Doctor in military sciences from the National Defense University.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: CSM)