General Prosecutor Rejects Request To Recuse Magistrate Investigation Section Chief From Kovesi Case

Judicial sources told MEDIAFAX that the general prosecutor rejected Kovesi’s request as the Criminal Procedure Code forbids the recusal of a prosecutor who is due to decide on another recusal request in the same case.

Kovesi, the former chief of the country National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), requested on Friday to have both case prosecutor Adina Florea and SIIJ chief prosecutor Gheorghe Stan removed from procedures in the case, citing doubts regardng their impartiality.

The SIIJ chief decided on Friday afternoon to reject the recusal of Adina Florea from the Kovesi case.

The former DNA chief prosecutor was informed on Friday by SIIJ prosecutors that she is suspected of several offences regarding the repatriation of a fugitive businessman in 2011, while she was serving as Romania’s general prosecutor.

Kovesi previously said last week that a subpoena was issued on her name after she informed the Supreme Court about the date on which she was initially supposed to attend a European Parliament hearing. The former DNA chief is favored to lead the upcoming European Public Prosecutor’s Office, after she was announced as first in the order of the selection committee’s preferences on a three-prosecutor shortlist for the role.

Case prosecutor Adina Florea confirmed on Thursday that the subpoena was issued in regards to charges pressed by fugitive businessman Sebastian Ghita, who accused Kovesi last year of requesting him to pay for a flight used to repatriate another convicted businessman, Nicolae Popa, from Indonesia in 2011.

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