Justice Ministry's report on DNA head Kovesi: Unprincipled attitude, breach of ethical standards, use of insults, threats

Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi has come under fire in the freshly released report of the Ministry of Justice, for having displayed an unprincipled attitude and "broken the minimal professional standards of ethics and deontology" when demanding the speeding up of cases built against certain "ministers", but also by using insulting and threatening expressions against the prosecutors, calling them "cowards" and "gossipmongers."

One of the chapters of the document unveiled this Friday, which assesses DNA's managerial activity, is titled: "Handling media-impactful cases as a priority. Unprincipled attitudes. Breach of the magistrate's minimal ethics and deontology standards.

The report mentions that the Judicial Inspection has recently published a release on the conduct, on January 12, 2018, of a disciplinary action against DNA Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi for "manifestations that affect the prosecutors' professional honor or probity, or the prestige of justice" during a working session, with the circumstances revealed in the recordings aired on 18 June 2017.

Specifically, the report of the Justice Ministry notes that Kovesi's statements were "in the sense of deflecting the negative effects on the institution's image and credibility caused by Decision No. 68/2017 of the Constitutional Court (which found there was a constitutional conflict between the Government and the DNA arising from the prosecutors' investigating the legality and timeliness of the adoption of GEO No. 13), by expediting cases involving ministers, with high media impact, and voiced her disagreement at the legal, final and generally binding character of Constitutional Court's decision No. 68/2017, using inappropriate expressions regarding the Constitutional Court and a CCR judge, leading the public opinion into believing that the media impact and the official capacity of the investigated persons are criteria in prioritizing the settlement of the cases."

The report also states that Laura Codruta Kovesi used "a superior and aggressive tone with the DNA prosecutors, which according to the magistrate's minimal standards of ethics and deontology is inadmissible and was likely to trigger indignation in the public and legitimate doubts about the observance of the principles of the supremacy of the Constitution and the laws, and the prosecutors' impartiality."

The report also mentions that in an e-mail the DNA head used denigratory, insulting and threatening lingo against the prosecutors, such as "cowards," "gossipmongers," "offenders," as she let them know that in a particular criminal case "a circle of suspects had already been established."