PNL requests that CSM decide nomination of DNA chief prosecutor, not Minister of Justice

The Liberals are requesting the Minister of Justice to send to the Superior Council of Magistrates (CSM) the candidacies that fulfill the legal conditions for the position of chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) and to allow CSM to make the decision concerning the nomination in this case, said on Thursday, National Liberal Party (PNL) Chairman Ludovic Orban. 

"I saw that Mr. Tudorel Toader is the star of this procedure and we would like CSM to be the body that decides the nomination of the DNA head, and not the Justice Minister, which is why we are requesting the Minister of Justice to send to CSM all candidacies that fulfill the legal conditions and to allow CSM to decide who of the candidates best suits the legal conditions to occupy the position of chief prosecutor of DNA, by CSM granting the opinion to that candidate that CSM considers the best," Ludovic Orban told a press conference. 

Ludovic Orban specified that this request to the Minister of Justice is based on the European Commission's report and on its recommendations within the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (MCV), that have systematically asked for the de-politicizing of head prosecutors' nomination mechanism.

"In order to eliminate any suspicion concerning the politicization of the position of DNA head, we consider that leaving this decision to CSM might provide more credibility to the selected candidate, a more favorable perception of the future chief prosecutor of DNA, both abroad, as well as for the Romanian public opinion and might remove any suspicions concerning a potential decision based on political arguments, and not professional arguments," the PNL Chairman said. 

The four candidates that entered the race for the head of the National Anticorruption Directorate are Florentina Mirica - head of the Anti-Corruption Department of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), Cristian Lazar - deputy chief-prosecutor for the section of criminal prosecution with the General Prosecutor's Office, Marius Iacob - the DNA's deputy chief prosecutor and Elena Grecu - department head prosecutor in the central structure of DNA. 

The position of chief prosecutor of DNA became vacant after Laura Codruta Kovesi was revoked through a decree that was emitted on July 9 by President Klaus Iohannis, who enforced a decision of the Constitutional Court.