Several Prosecutor’s Offices Suspend Activity In Protest To Recent Judicial Decree

The Constanta, Arges county and Pitesti prosecutors’ offices, as well as the Cluj court have all announced strikes ranging from three days to one week.

Constanta Court first-prosecutor Viorel Teliceanu told MEDIAFAX that the institution will suspend its activity for three days starting with next Monday, with exceptions to be made for cases in which preventive measures are requested for suspects.

In a statement, the institution said that it supports General Prosecutor Augustin Lazar’s stance on the bill, accusing that the decree’s amendments could politicize procedures to appoint top prosecutors.

In Cluj, more than 100 Cluj Court magistrates staged a protest in front of the institution on Friday and announced a one-week suspension of its activity beginning also on Monday, with the exception of cases involving minors, restraining orders, requests to suspend administrative acts and presidential decrees.

The general assemblies of the Pitesti and Arges prosecutor’s offices also announced a five, respectively three days suspension with the same exceptions for urgent cases.

Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader announced the decree in question on Tuesday and presented several of its amendments, mainly regarding the criteria for appointing top prosecutors.

In addition, the bill contains several changes to the contest for admission into the National Institute of Magistracy (INM) and the attributions of the Supreme Court’s Section for Investigating Judicial Offences (SIIJ) chief-prosecutor, and blocks delegations into chief prosecutor roles

The decree amends the procedure for appointing top prosecutors, with candidacies to be reviewed by the plenary of the country’s top judicial watchdog, the Superior Council of the Magistracy (CSM), instead of the institution’s Prosecutors’ Section, as was the case until now.

It also extends the eligibility criteria for top prosecutor offices to judges who have previously been prosecutors, instead of only prosecutors who are active at the time of the nomination.

The act was criticized by Romania’s main prosecutors’ offices, but also by top judicial watchdog CSM’s Prosecutors’ Section and by National Union of Romanian Judges. The institutions accused that its provisions might block the agencies’ activities and infringe on the principle of separating the careers of judges and prosecutors.

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