Romania’s President announces imminent referendum among magistrates on state of justice

President Nicușor Dan said on April 7 that the IT system necessary for the referendum on justice "is almost ready," without giving a deadline for organising this consultation within the justice system, according to G4Media.

President Dan previously said that the members of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) “should leave” if the referendum establishes that they do not serve the public interest, as suggested by independent investigative reports.

Recently, the High Court (ICCJ) cancelled an even more benign procedure pursued by the Government and aimed at sketching possible scenarios for adjusting the justice laws. ICCJ banned the activity of such a consultative committee and sued Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and Minister of Justice Radu Marinescu for the attempt. The Government’s initiative originated, just like the president's proposed referendum, in a report on the “captured justice” published by investigative platform Recorder last year.

"The electronic system that will allow us to organise the referendum on justice is almost ready. I said we needed an IT system," president Dan said when asked at a press conference about the delay in the referendum he had announced back in January.

He announced that he would consult with all judges and prosecutors to determine the mood in the judiciary, after the documentary Recorder and other press investigations showed that there is a group at the top that controls major cases.

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