US ambassador praises ECHR's ruling in favor of RO's former anticorruption chief, president says there must be consequences

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on May 5 that Romania violated the rights of the former anticorruption directorate (DNA) chief prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi when dismissing her before the end of her mandate, and this has triggered reactions from top Romanian officials, including the president and the prime minister, as well as the US ambassador to Bucharest and former justice minister Tudorel Toader.

President Klaus Iohannis, who in 2018 signed Kovesi's dismissal after the Constitutional Court (CCR) compelled him to do so, said on Tuesday, May 5, that the ECHR ruling "could not remain without consequences." Moreover, the CCR judges "must review immediately not only the decision to revoke Ms. Kovesi, but also any other decisions taken in the light of simple statements, whether political or not," the president added.

"Defying all the arguments I invoked at the time, including those alleging the violation of Ms. Kovesi's free access to justice, the Constitutional Court decided to remove her from office, at the suggestion of the minister of justice. Such a decision of the ECHR, unprecedented as it concerns the authority guaranteeing the supremacy of the Constitution, cannot remain without consequences. The credibility of CCR, already affected by some controversial decisions over the past few years, is now even more seriously shaken," president Iohannis said.

He also stated that the Human Rights Court's decision "shows us that this institution needs to be reformed at the constitutional level."

Meanwhile, Adrian Zuckerman, the US ambassador to Bucharest, said that the ECHR decision "is an admonition against political interference in judicial matters to avoid criminal prosecution."

"The Court ruled today that Laura Codruţa Kovesi was wrongly terminated as head of the DNA. President Klaus Iohannis praised the decision. We agree with President Iohannis that Ms. Kovesi's fundamental rights were infringed upon and that free access to justice and freedom of expression are essential values of a democratic society. This decision is an admonition against political interference in judicial matters to avoid criminal prosecution," Zuckerman said in a press release.

"As a recipient of the 2014 US Embassy's Woman of Courage award, Ms. Kovesi, now head of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, exemplifies the values of courage, justice, and honor. We commend her again today," he added.