Outgoing Romanian head prosecutors fail to get CSM’s review for new positions

The prosecutors' section of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) on March 24 failed to reach a consensus on the approval of the candidacies in the case of prosecutors outgoing general prosecutor Alex Florența, who is running for the position of deputy head of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), and outgoing head of Anticorruption Directorate Marius Voineag, who is running for the position of deputy prosecutor general.

The two were criticised last year by president Nicusor Dan for their results. However, president Dan apparently evaluated the two when expressing general positive views about all the candidates proposed by the Ministry of Justice for top prosecutor positions.

After holding interviews at the CSM, the members of the prosecutors’ section, plus the minister of justice, failed, on two occasions, to constitute a majority that would allow a decision to be made in the case of the two (a favourable opinion or a negative opinion), both receiving three votes "for" and three "against".

The CSM’s voting on the two candidates shall be resumed in the following meetings until a decision is reached by majority vote, Digi24 reported.

If a consensus is not reached in the following days, the minister of justice may submit the proposal to the president without the opinion of the prosecutors' section of the CSM. But this would place a higher responsibility on president Dan in appointing head prosecutors who are subject to public criticism.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)