Romanian candidate for European Chief Prosecutor gets European Parliament's endorsement

.Romania's former chief anticorruption prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi also won the vote in the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), in the procedure for appointing the European Chief Prosecutor. Kovesi received 26 votes while 22 MEPs voted for the French candidate Francois Bohnert and German Andres Ritter received just one vote, according to G4media.ro.

Laura Codruta Kovesi also got most votes from the European Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) following hearings in the European Parliament for the position of European Chief Prosecutor on Tuesday. Kovesi received 12 votes from the Committee's members, one more than French counter candidate Francois Bohnert. German Andres Ritter received just one vote.

Laura Codruta Kovesi was heard by the EP committees on Tuesday afternoon. During the 75-minute hearings, she presented her view on how the new European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) should function and answered questions from MEPs.

Kovesi was the first choice of the international board of specialists that carried out the selection process for the position of chief prosecutor of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). However, she lost the vote of the Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union (COREPER) to the French candidate, after intense lobby against her carried out by the Romanian Government.

The vote in the European Parliament's committees keeps Kovesi in the race for European Chief Prosecutor. The European Parliament will negotiate with the EU Council to decide who will get the appointment, Kovesi or Bohnert. The former Romanian anticorruption head, however, is contested by her own Government while the French candidate has full support from his country.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea)