Romania's Magistracy Council: Senate president’s statements, dangerous

Romania’s Superior Council of Magistracy said yesterday that the statements of different officials on Romania’s judicial system, including the interview that Senate president Calin Popescu Tariceanu had with BBC, can affect not only the independence of the judiciary, but also Romania’s image. Tariceanu said in an interview for the BBC on February 5 that “the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) and the intelligence services are perceived as institutions that don’t comply with the legal environment, are corrupt themselves and are used as leverage in the political struggle in Romania”. CSM said that such statements are dangerous, because they can affect “not only the independence, image, credibility and prestige of the judiciary," but also “Romania’s external image, prestige, and credibility.” The National Anticorruption Directorate recently asked the CSM to take a firmer stand on the numerous attacks in the media against the DNA and the judiciary. DNA has been the target of unprecedented media attacks carried out by several televisions and newspapers in Romania controlled by people with political connections, some of whom have their own legal problems. The main theme of these attacks was DNA’s alleged connection with the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) and the fact that the two institutions allegedly worked together to fabricate cases against local politicians and business people they wanted to eliminate. “People who haven’t committed any corruption offences don’t need to fear DNA! We only investigate those who have done acts of corruption,” said DNA chief prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi in an interview with the Romanian public radio. She added that DNA’s activity is permanently being checked by CSM’s Judicial Inspection and by the judges who take over the cases sent to court by DNA prosecutors. editor@romania-insider.com