Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Romania moves to block own candidate from EU prosecutor role
Source: The Guardian
Romania moves to block own candidate from EU prosecutor role
Laura Codruţa Kövesi considered favourite despite opposition from justice minister
Jennifer Rankin in Brussels
Tue 5 Feb 2019 12.14 GMT
Romania’s justice minister has vowed to do everything in his power to block his own country’s lauded candidate for the new role of EU public prosecutor.
Laura Codruţa Kövesi won plaudits as Romania’s anti-corruption tsar for her bold attempts to stamp out graft in one of the EU’s most corrupt member states. As head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), she went after prime ministers, sitting and former ministers, mayors and members of parliament, before her dismissal on the orders of the justice minister, Tudorel Toader, in July 2018.
This week Toader told the Romanian website Stiripesurse that the EU was unaware of the “abuses committed by Laura Codruţa Kövesi” when she led the DNA, and promised to send the reasons for her dismissal to his fellow EU justice ministers.
Toader’s comments turn the spotlight on his country’s pervasive corruption. Last November, the European commission warned Romania the fight against corruption was going backwards, highlighting pressure on the DNA. Some European diplomats think Romania should be subject to the EU’s rule-of-law sanction procedure, if the government follows through with proposals for an amnesty to wipe the slate clean for politicians convicted of corruption.
-snip-
Laura Codruţa Kövesi considered favourite despite opposition from justice minister
Jennifer Rankin in Brussels
Tue 5 Feb 2019 12.14 GMT
Romania’s justice minister has vowed to do everything in his power to block his own country’s lauded candidate for the new role of EU public prosecutor.
Laura Codruţa Kövesi won plaudits as Romania’s anti-corruption tsar for her bold attempts to stamp out graft in one of the EU’s most corrupt member states. As head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), she went after prime ministers, sitting and former ministers, mayors and members of parliament, before her dismissal on the orders of the justice minister, Tudorel Toader, in July 2018.
This week Toader told the Romanian website Stiripesurse that the EU was unaware of the “abuses committed by Laura Codruţa Kövesi” when she led the DNA, and promised to send the reasons for her dismissal to his fellow EU justice ministers.
Toader’s comments turn the spotlight on his country’s pervasive corruption. Last November, the European commission warned Romania the fight against corruption was going backwards, highlighting pressure on the DNA. Some European diplomats think Romania should be subject to the EU’s rule-of-law sanction procedure, if the government follows through with proposals for an amnesty to wipe the slate clean for politicians convicted of corruption.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/05/romania-moves-to-block-own-candidate-from-eu-prosecutor-role
