Cristina Chiriac, a candidate for Romania's Prosecutor General, argued on Monday during her interview at the Justice Ministry that prosecutors should make greater use of plea agreements as a way to reduce the workload in prosecutors' offices.
"The priority of resolving criminal cases is a major issue for the Public Prosecution Office. In my view, a thorough analysis of the existing backlog is needed, and cases where the evidence is nearly complete should be prioritized so they can be resolved quickly, without unjustified delays. Cases that do not require a very high level of evidentiary effort should also be handled swiftly, so as not to further increase an already very large backlog. I would use the plea agreement mechanism as efficiently as possible - an instrument I applied frequently in the service I headed," Chiriac said.
She was asked whether plea agreements could be used more often in local prosecutors' offices, particularly for traffic offenses, property crimes or aggravated theft.
"I believe this tool is not used often enough at local level because prosecutors tend to think that if they must draft a plea agreement, they might as well draft an indictment. I don't think the advantages of this instrument - which also allows the case to be sent to court - are fully explained to them. To encourage prosecutors to use it, judicial practice must be analysed. If the penalties applied for the offenses covered by plea agreements fall within certain limits that the prosecutor can already negotiate during the investigation, then expecting a significantly higher sentence through indictment is not justified. Using this instrument means efficiency, speed and fewer procedural steps, and it eases the burden on the courts," she replied.
Chiriac also addressed the relationship between the Public Prosecution Office and the media.
"Relations with the media must remain within legal boundaries and respect citizens's fundamental rights. As I stated in my project, it is essential for the Public Prosecution Office, and especially the Prosecutor General, to react firmly and appropriately to types of crime that concern society, clearly explaining the institution's competencies. The public must understand what the Public Ministry can do and what it cannot do, and communication through the media is essential for this," she said.
Cristina Chiriac is currently head of the Iasi branch of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and is running for the position of Prosecutor General of Romania.
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