Romanian SocDem leader keeps distance from DNA chief revoking scandal

The leader of Romania’s Social Democratic Party (PSD) said on Monday, February 26, that neither he nor his party needed to undertake the justice minister’s proposal for revoking the chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA). Liviu Dragnea said that PSD had no role in this matter and that the president was the one who had to decide whether he accepted or not the proposal to revoke the chief anticorruption prosecutor. He added that PSD wouldn’t try to suspend the president if he refused to revoke the DNA chief. Dragnea, PSD and even prime minister Viorica Dancila were cautious when commenting about this request while opposition parties accused the ruling coalition of forcing this proposal onto justice minister Tudorel Toader. The justice minister asked for DNA chief Laura Codruta Kovesi’s dismissal in an 80-minute press briefing on Thursday evening, last week. The announcement came one week after a former PSD MP accused the prosecutors of the DNA office in Ploiesti of fabricating evidence and presented recordings of alleged talks he had with them, during which they apparently asked him to come up with false denunciations against former prime minister Victor Ponta and former PSD MP Sebastian Ghita. Immediately after the scandal broke, PM Viorica Dancila called back justice minister Tudorel Toader from a visit in Japan and some PSD leaders asked him to take urgent measures suggesting that Kovesi should leave DNA’s helm. Romania’s chief anticorruption prosecutor reacts to justice minister’s dismissal request Thousands join protest to support Romania’s chief antigraft prosecutor 135 anticorruption prosecutors question Romanian justice minister’s report on DNA head editor@romania-insider.com