Justice Minister Radu Marinescu stated on Wednesday that any political interference in the judicial process is absolutely unacceptable and that he will "never" ask judicial authorities to handle specific cases according to political opinions or views, adding that the institution he leads is open to any reforms within its competence.
"Regarding the Recorder documentary on justice, I consider it necessary, as Minister of Justice, to make a few clarifications, even managing to follow it while on successive trips to the JHA Council and the meeting of the Justice ministers in the Council of Europe on migration issues. (...) Specifically, regarding this report, I will make a few observations, mentioning that I fully observe the media's freedom to critically address any social area and I value the importance of its role in the democratic society we aspire to live in," Radu Marinescu wrote on his Facebook page.
The Minister said that the documentary invokes alleged manipulation of the judiciary in various high-profile cases, through dilatory or even abusive procedural approaches, or through acquittals or dismissals of criminal cases, which some participants in the documentary considered suspicious.
"I mention that the exclusive responsibility for correctly applying the law, both substantive and procedural, in each case lies with the magistrates and any possible disciplinary or criminal breaches, if they exist, must be investigated and sanctioned by the competent institutions - the Judicial Inspection and the CSM [the Superior Council of Magistracy], namely specialised prosecutor structures and courts. The Ministry of Justice has no authority to intervene in how the magistrates enforce the law in individual cases and as Minister I cannot make assessments regarding the resolution of these cases," Marinescu pointed out.
He added that in 2022 Romania adopted the Emergency Ordinance no.71, which addressed the regulation of special criminal prescription following the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) decisions and also passed in 2022 the justice laws (regarding the status of magistrates, judicial organisation and the CSM), laws which were positively assessed in Romania's Rule of Law reports, including the 2025 edition.
"These laws are also a milestone included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which we consider completed and for which payment request no. 4 will be submitted very soon in order to receive European money. Thus, the Ministry of Justice has fulfilled its responsibilities in legislating a modern framework in order to ensure the independence and efficient functioning of the judiciary, beyond this, authority lies with the courts, the prosecutors' offices and the CSM," Radu Marinescu said.
According to him, the Ministry of Justice cannot intervene in magistrates' election of the CSM members, nor in disciplinary procedures and as Minister he cannot make assessments regarding any alleged "capture" of these institutions by members elected by the magistrates.
Radu Marinescu added that if there are specific cases of abuse, negligence, favouritism or corruption in the exercise of judicial functions, they must be promptly investigated and sanctioned and the Ministry of Justice supports the need to combat any form of perversion of the act of judicial from the standards of objectivity, impartiality and truth-seeking.
The official also mentioned that the Ministry of Justice implements the justice strategy agreed with the colleagues from all the parties in the current coalition and included in the government programme, and in this regard, the Ministry has recently made "essential" contributions to major successes for Romania in anti-corruption and integrity assessments, including in the OECD's WGB and PIAAC groups, it is on track with the PNRR projects, including the digitalisation of justice through ECRIS V, actively participates in drafting and implementing European legislation within its remit and develops legislative solutions to simplify and streamline judicial procedures, essentially creating the modern legal framework in which judicial authorities can function efficiently and responsibly.
"As Minister, I consider any political interference in the judiciary absolutely unacceptable and I will never ask judicial authorities to handle specific cases according to political opinions or views. The Ministry of Justice is open to any reforms within its competence that ensure judicial independence, constitutionality, efficiency and observance for the rule of law. There are still issues to correct in justice and this must be done responsibly and professionally," Radu Marinescu added.
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