Nicușor Dan went to the headquarters of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) on Thursday, in his first visit since taking over the presidency of Romania more than a year ago.
The President chaired, according to his constitutional powers, the CSM meeting, in the context of discussions regarding the situation in the judicial system. At the CSM table, the head of state sat between Lia Savonea, the controversial head of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, and the President of the CSM, Gheorghe Liviu Odagiu.
The visit takes place amid intense debates about the functioning of justice and the independence of magistrates.
The head of state only stayed a few minutes at the meeting and stated that the majority of magistrates in Romania are honest people with a sense of responsibility towards their duties.
”I believe that the vast majority of magistrates in Romania are honest people with a sense of responsibility towards their duties, their social responsibility. And precisely to strengthen the image of Justice and the trust of Romanians in the Romanian state and the idea of justice, this activity of investigating individuals in the judicial environment who commit offenses is important.
So, this issue of investigating magistrates is, as we all know, part of the recent report of the European Commission on the rule of law in Romania, so it is all the more an important issue,” said Nicușor Dan.
He mentioned that there is a lack of prosecutors dedicated to this issue both at the General Prosecutor's Office and at the prosecutor's offices near the courts of appeal.
”I believe we need to address this shortage and I believe there must be competent and balanced individuals. The judicial system is always about balance and not about investigation for the sake of investigation,” the head of state further stated.
Later, Prosecutor General Cristina Chiriac announced the names of two prosecutors who are set to be part of the section investigating offenses committed by magistrates.
Nicușor Dan asked for an update on the cases involving magistrates, but Cristina Chiriac specified that she does not have these statistics.
Then, the head of state inquired about the age of these cases, but once again did not receive a concrete answer.
Upon leaving the CSM headquarters, Nicușor Dan stated that out of the 14 positions provided for the special section within the General Prosecutor's Office, only three are currently filled.
“I came only for point 1 (from the CSM meeting agenda - ed.), which refers to the prosecutors proposed by the General Prosecutor's Office for investigating corruption offenses committed by magistrates. Here we have a shortage of prosecutors in the special section of the General Prosecutor's Office. We only have 3 out of 14. Today, 2 more were proposed. 1 was also proposed at the Prosecutor's Office near the Court of Appeal in Constanța.
And it's important because it's an important topic, as suspicion of offenses among magistrates deteriorates, affects the trust of Romanians in the Romanian state itself. So it's important to administratively resolve this issue,” stated Nicușor Dan.
When will we have a prime minister
Nicușor Dan was also asked when he will appoint a new prime minister.
”In the coming days. Obviously, society is waiting for us to have a government,” said the President.
The head of state specified that there have been discussions throughout this period.
”I haven't acted much because many parliamentarians were on vacation and, as you know, a physical vote was required. But it's time to resolve the issue,” said Nicușor Dan.