The civic community Declic announced on Thursday that it will challenge in court the procedure through which Lia Savonea was appointed at the helm of the High Court of Cassation and Justice (HCCJ), citing serious irregularities and pressures on the independence of the Judiciary.
The organization accuses the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) of prematurely triggering the designation process, almost three months before the legal deadline provided by Law 303/2022.
The initiative follows a petition signed by nearly 69,000 citizens and an internal survey, in which 97% of respondents supported continuing legal action.
"Citizens have been very clear: they no longer accept complicity and silence. The law has been violated, and the consequences can be serious for the independence of justice," stated Tudor Brădățan, the executive director of Declic.
Accusations regarding the influencing of justice
According to Declic, Lia Savonea's appointment raises issues not only of legality but also of integrity. As the President of the HCCJ, Savonea will play an essential role in shaping the panels of 5 judges, which handle sensitive corruption cases.
Furthermore, she will influence interpretative decisions with a major impact on jurisprudence in areas such as anti-corruption, social rights, and environmental protection.
Declic argues that the Judges' Section of the CSM launched the procedure just a few hours after the announcement of the presidential election results, although the law only allows this step within a maximum of 60 days before the expiration of the current mandate. The mandate of the current HCCJ President, Corina Corbu, ends in the second half of September.
Profile of Lia Savonea
Lia Savonea was appointed as a judge at the HCCJ - Criminal Section in 2023, after leading the Bucharest Court of Appeal.
She was a member of the CSM in the previous legislature, including serving as the Council's President in 2019.
Lia Savonea has made several controversial decisions, including declaring the indictment in the "Revolution" case involving Ion Iliescu as non-compliant, as well as retrying the case where Mario Iorgulescu had a final sentence of 13 years and 8 months in prison after driving drunk and drugged, causing the death of another driver.
The decision to appoint her at the top of the HCCJ was made on Monday with nine votes "for" and one "against."