Romanian President asks young magistrates to withstand assault on justice

The act of justice is being questioned by the very people called to answer before the law, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis told the young magistrates who graduated the National Magistracy Institute (INM). In an official ceremony at the Cotroceni Palace, the president asked the new magistrates not to let themselves influenced by this attempt and not to deviate from the profession’s integrity principles, namely legality, impartiality and equality. He also told them that they were not alone and that the Romanians, who have shown their support for an independent and fair justice, were next to them. After the ceremony, president Iohannis had a talk with justice minister Tudorel Toader, who also participated to this event. They talked about the situation of justice in Romania and especially the situation of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), which has been involved in several scandals lately. The most recent of them was launched by former MP Vlad Cosma, who stands trial for influence peddling, who accused DNA prosecutors of using him to fabricate evidence. DNA chief prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi dismissed the allegations, but justice minister Tudorel Toader may still decide to ask the president to dismiss the DNA head. He announced he would hold a press conference on this matter on Thursday afternoon. editor@romania-insider.com