The Judges' Section of the Supreme Council of Magistrates (CSM) decided on Monday by a vote of nine to one to appoint judge Lia Savonea as president of the High Court of Cassation and Justice.
Savonea will take office after mid-September, when the term of the current head of the top court, Corina Corbu, runs to end, agerpres reports.
Judge Lia Savonea sat the interview for the position of top court president on Monday, as the sole candidate.
Before the Section for Judges of the Supreme Council of Magistrates, she said that she entered the competition not for a position, but for a mission, pointing out that "the hardest decisions must be committed to, not avoided."
"For me, this candidacy is not a career step, but a pledge. I am aware that the position of president of the Supreme Court is not an honorary position, but a heavy responsibility. The experience I have garnered in 21 years of activity, exclusively as a judge in management and executive positions, as a member of the management board, member of the Supreme Council of Magistrates, has helped me to understand in depth the judicial system at each level - court, tribunal, court of appeal and supreme court. It helped me to understand in all these years that justice is built through decisions, and the hardest decisions must be committed to, not avoided. I have learned that independence is not granted, it is a responsibility and a day-by-day struggle," said Lia Savonea.
She presented a project focused mainly on areas such as responsibility, commitment, balance, and the valorization of merit.
"Responsibility and commitment - I mean that I commit not only to the independence of the position, but in particular to the responsibility of this independence, with everything this means. Balance - well-balanced decisions and firmness in the face of any pressure, regardless of who it may come from. Valorization of merit - I promote real values in justice, that is meritocracy, authentic meritocracy, because, in my opinion, meritocracy should not be reduced to a multiple-choice test for assessing theoretical knowledge, meritocracy implies much more, it implies solid theoretical knowledge, but also verification of aptitude, correct applications in everyday activity," the judge emphasized.
According to her, real competence shows in the way the law is applied, not in the way it is talked about.
Over time, Lia Savonea has handed down several controversial decisions, including that of declaring the indictment in the "Revolution" case in which Ion Iliescu is being tried as non-compliant, and retrying the case in which Mario Iorgulescu got a final sentence of 13 years and 8 months in prison after driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol and killing another driver.
Lia Savonea was promoted to the position of Supreme Court judge - Criminal Section in the spring of 2023, after previously holding the position of president of the Bucharest Court of Appeal.
She was a member of the Supreme Council of Magistrates and in 2019 also held the position of CSM president.
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