dismissal of the head of the anti-corruption prosecution

The left-wing Romanian government has obtained the departure of the head of the anti-corruption prosecution (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi, dismissed today by the head of state who had long opposed the dismissal of this magistrate became the face of the judiciary in the country. The ruling coalition was due to discuss the possible dismissal of center-right President Klaus Iohannis, whom it accused of suspending the dismissal of Mrs. Kovesi.

"The Romanian President today signed Laura Codruta Kovesi's revocation decree. ", finally announced the spokesperson of President Iohannis Madalina Dobrovolschi. The head of state thus complies with a decision of the Romanian Constitutional Court that had ordered him, at the end of May, to lift his veto to the dismissal of the prosecutor demanded by the government, despite opposition and opposition protests. the international community.

Considered by her supporters as a symbol of the fight against corruption in Romania, Mrs. Kovesi, 44 years old, had been in office since 2013. She had been confirmed in 2016 by Mr. Iohannis for a ultimate three-year term. This magistrate has for several months been in the crosshairs of the social-democratic government, whose controversial reforms of the judicial system she criticized.

Justice Minister Tudorel Toader opened the procedure in February to dismiss her, accusing the magistrate to have "violated the Constitution" and "harmed the image" of Romania abroad. Declaring himself "unconvinced" by these arguments, Mr. Iohannis had objected to this procedure and was in turn threatened with being dismissed by the majority who criticized his obstruction. The European Commission and the Council of Europe also criticized the dismissal procedure against Kovesi

In a country considered to be gangrenous with corruption, the DNA has increased the number of prosecutions of local elected representatives in recent years. in return for the enmity of a part of the political clbad and accusations of abuse of power. At the end of February, Kovesi said that despite "unprecedented attacks" by the government, her prosecution had sent a thousand people to court in 2017, including three ministers, five deputies and one senator. Thousands of protesters marched in Romania this winter to express their support for the prosecutor.

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