Families of two murdered journalists support Romanian for EU Prosecutor job but negotiations get stuck
The families of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and Slovakian journalist Jan Kuciak, both murdered for uncovering major acts of corruption, sent a letter to the EU Council in which they called on the Council to choose Romania’s…
RI Newsroom · Journalist
· Updated · 4 min read
The families of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and Slovakian journalist Jan Kuciak, both murdered for uncovering major acts of corruption, sent a letter to the EU Council in which they called on the Council to choose Romania’s former anticorruption head Laura Codruta Kovesi for the EU Chief Prosecutor job. Romanian MEP Cristian Preda published the letter on his Facebook page.
The letter came as the negotiations between the EU Council, which supports the French candidate for the job, and the European Parliament, which backs Kovesi, got stuck. The third round of negotiations took place on Thursday, April 4, but without any progress.
In the letter addressed to the EU Council, the families of the two journalists urged the Council to “choose the bravest and most distinguished candidate for the job, a woman made from the same mould as Daphne and Ján: Laura Codruta Kovesi.” They believe the Romanian candidate “is the most qualified candidate and has shown herself willing to bring charges forward when all other institutions within a member state have failed to act, a test which no other candidate has undergone, let alone passed. The EU can no longer assume that member states will guarantee the rule of law and fight corruption of their own accord. Daphne and Jan cried to the heavens for the criminals they investigated to be prosecuted.”
“Ms. Kovesi knows what it takes to prevent more murders of journalists who investigate corruption, money laundering and serious tax fraud. We know that candidatures become chips in a game of political bargaining between member states, but money laundering and the corruption of national authorities are a serious matter of cross-border security that cannot become subject to political compromise. Romania opposes the candidature of Ms. Kovesi and is lobbying for another candidate. Choosing a candidate other than Ms. Kovesi would signal to European citizens that the EU prioritises a false sense of harmony over the protection of their fundamental rights. To choose Ms. Kovesi would say that there is no room for compromise in the deadly fight against corruption,” the same letter reads.
The two journalists’ families end the letter by saying that Laura Codruta Kovesi has their support and that they hope she can count on the Council’s support too.
Meanwhile, the EU Council reiterated its support for the French candidate for the position of EU Chief Prosecutor after the third round of negotiations ended without any progress.
