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Liberals consider challenging at the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) the amendments to the Justice laws announced by minister Tudorel Toader, said on Wednesday the National Liberal Party (PNL, opposition) chairman Ludovic Orban, adding that he already had a talk with the Save Romania Union (USR, opposition) interim chairman, Elek Levente on their backing a simple motion against the Justice minister. "PNL will definitely oppose the propositions made by the Justice minister, in particular will challenge two propositions, namely the one to eliminate the President of Romania from procedure to appoint the Prosecutor Offices' heads and the proposition to subordinate the Judicial Inspection to the Ministry of Justice from the Superior Council of Magistracy, currently). After patenting the 'Black Tuesday', the PSD (Social-Democrats, main at rule, ed. n.) now want to patent the 'Black Wednesday'. (...) Even if in broad day-light, this represents an attack to the independence of Justice. (...) We will fight these legislative modifications with all the legal, constitutional weapons. Both propositions are not only parallel to the Constitution, but run counter to it," Orban told a news conference.
"We will obviously challenge (these amendments, ed. n.) to the CCR, and yet I still hope that after seeing the public opinion's reaction, the magistrates' reaction, the reaction at the EU member states' level, they will take a step back as they did with the (ordinance) OUG 13. I cannot imagine that they will push this aberration till it is adopted through law, because if they do this, they risk to trigger huge social pressure, an extremely strong opposition within the society against this serious attempt to politicize Justice and violate the independence of Justice," Ludovic Orban said.
In addition, Orban said he has asked Prime Minister Mihai Tudose to come out publicly and say whether or not he backs the amendments lodged by the Justice minister. He also said that the "appointment of certain politically obedient prosecutors not only will prevent the ruling party's leaders from being investigated for corruption deeds, but risks to transform the prosecutor offices into tools of political fight against the Opposition and any citizen who opposes the ruling party," the PNL leader concludes.
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