Reactions to CCR decision on DNA and DIICOT prosecutor position seniority requirements

The Minister of Justice, Stelian Ion, maintains that, by the decision given on Wednesday, Romania's Constitutional Court (CCR) dealt a "blow" to the fight against corruption and organized crime by not taking into account the opinion of those who "know the best which is the situation in the prosecutor's offices."

"The Constitutional Court today dealt another blow to DNA and DIICOT, i.e. the fight against corruption and organized crime. CCR did not take into account the opinion of those who know the best which the situation is in the prosecutor's offices and ignored the arguments of DNA and DIICOT, also supported by several associations of magistrates and the Prosecutor's Office of the CSM," Stelian Ion wrote on Facebook.

According to him, against the background of the already existing staff deficit in DNA and DIICOT, the CCR decision "closes the door" for younger prosecutors, well trained professionally, but who do not meet the 10-year seniority requirement "imposed by PSD Minister Florin Iordache."

The section for judges of the CSM criticized, on Wednesday, the Minister of Justice, Stelian Ion, whom it accuses of launching "real attacks" against the judges of the Supreme Court, undermines the rule of law and of not having the capacity to leave a "militant and politicking" area.

The members of the Judges' Section reaffirm that the thorough professional training, the real specialization and the professional experience acquired during the career represent strong guarantees able to prevent errors and to prevent violations of the law by the judiciary, regarding judicial freedom, of human dignity and private life.

It should be noted that, while the CSM's Judges Section opposed the reduction of seniority for DNA and DIICOT prosecutors, while the CSM's Prosecutors Section took the opposite position.