Radio România Internațional

Tag: Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi

  • April 15, 2018 UPDATE

    April 15, 2018 UPDATE


    DNA – Early next week, Romanias president Klaus Iohannis will announce his decision regarding the request for the removal from office of the Chief Prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Directorate Laura Codruta Kovesi. Recently, the head of state, who had previously voiced his trust in the chief prosecutor, has stated that his decision will take into consideration all the documents provided by both parties. In February, the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader asked for the dismissal of the anti-corruption chief prosecutor, accusing her of having exceeded her powers. The Higher Council of Magistracy has issued a negative opinion on the request.



    FAC – On Monday, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu will attend the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg. Dominated by the situation in Syria, the agenda of talks also includes topics such as the relations with Iran, the developments in the Western Balkans, the relationship between Brussels and Moscow and the EU financial instruments to be used within the Multiannual Financial Framework post-2020. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini will inform the foreign ministers about the developments in Gaza and Venezuela.



    ATTACK – The US Ambassador to the UN Nikky Haley has stated that the United States will not pull out its troops from Syria until Washingtons goals are reached. In this way, she said, the US wants to make sure that no chemical weapons will be used in Syria, that the Islamic State will be defeated and the neighboring Iran will be closely monitored. In another move, Great Britain has stated it has no immediate plan to repeat Saturdays attack against installations and chemical weapons stores in Syria. The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has warned, though, that the British will consider further action if the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad uses again chemical weapons against his own people. The statements were made after the US, Great Britain and France launched, in the early hours of Saturday morning, the largest attack against Syrian targets since the start of the civil war, in retaliation for the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Damascus regime.



    SYRIA – In a message on Twitter, president Klaus Iohannis says that Romania condemns the use of chemical weapons in Syria and stands by the actions carried out by its strategic partners. The Romanian Foreign Ministry too has reasserted its firm support for any effort made by the international community to stop the conflict in Syria. Also, a message posted on the Governments Facebook page reads that Romania supports the firm response of its strategic partners to the attack in Syria, which claimed victims among the civilian population.



    DIASPORA – The Minister for Romanians Around the World Natalia Intotero continues her visit to Spain. On Sunday she had meetings with Mrs. Amparo Marco Gual, the mayor of Castellon de la Plana, and with representatives of the Romanian associations in the Valencian community. According to a communiqué issued by the ministry, the high level of integration of the local Romanian community, which is not only the largest foreign community, but also the best articulated in Castellon, has been a major topic on the agenda of talks. There are some 20,000 Romanians living in Castellon de la Plana, out of some 52,000 living in the Castellon region. Also on Sunday, Natalia Intotero met with representatives of Romanian associations in the region, for talks on ways in which the Romanian Government could better support the Romanian communities in the Iberian peninsula, including non-reimbursable funding for projects aimed at preserving Romanian identity.



    VISIT – The Secretary of State Dan Neculaescu has met in Cernauti with representatives of the Romanian community in the region for talks on the situation concerning the rights of the Romanian community in Ukraine. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Romanian official has also held talks with the leadership of the regional and local administration, and stressed the need for a sustainable solution for the Romanian communitys legitimate interest in benefiting from education in their mother tongue, at all levels. Other topics were also approached during the meeting, such as cross-border cooperation, for the benefit of both parties.



    HUNGARY – The central electoral committee of Hungary confirmed on Sunday the final results of the parliamentary elections held on April 8th. FIDESZ, headed by the nationalist prime-minister Viktor Orban, won 133 of the 199 seats. Second came the far right Jobbik party with 26, followed by the Socialists with 20. This is Orbans fourth term in office as prime-minister. Holding two thirds of the seats in parliament will allow him to change the constitution.



    SPOTLIGHT – Sunday was the last day of the Spotlight Festival in Bucharest, during which giant images were projected on emblematic buildings in Bucharest. This years edition, the fourth, was titled United We Shine and brought to Bucharest 27 installations, projections and video mapping sessions from France, Australia, Israel, Germany, China, Russia, Italy, Spain and Romania. For the first time at the Spotlight Festival, works of art were also projected on the facades of several buildings, including the Romanian Atheneum.



    HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball champion CSM Bucharest on Sunday qualified for the Champions League Final Four, although it was defeated by the French team Metz 20-27, away from home, in the return game of the quarter finals. In the fist game, on home turf, the Romanians had won 34 to 21. The other teams that have qualified for the Final Four are the current European champion Gyor ETP of Hungary, HC Vardar of Macedonia and Rostov-Don of Russia. The semi-finals and the final will be held on May 12 and 13 in Budapest, where the Romanian team won the championship in 2016. On Saturday, SCM Craiova qualified for the final of the EHF cup, after a draw, 18-18, at home, with the Turkish team Kastamonu, in the decisive leg of the semi-finals. In the first game, the Romanians had won 23 to 22. This is Craiovas second participation in the European cups. In the final they will play against the Norwegians from Vipers Kristiansand.




  • March 16, 2018

    March 16, 2018


    ARCTIC ULTRA – The Romanian Tiberiu Useriu, aged 44, last night won, for the third time in a row, the 6633 Arctic Ultra, the most difficult marathon in the world, organized in the polar circle area. The race started on March 8th, and Tiberiu Useriu managed to conclude it after 7 days and 5 hours. Another three Romanians participated in the marathon: Avram Iancu, the first Romanian to swim the English Channel, and also Florentina Iofcea and Polgar Levente. Unfortunately, all three of them had to pull out before the end of the race.



    IMF – Jaewoo Lee, the head of the IMF Mission for Romania, together with Alejandro Hajdenberg, the Resident Representative for Romania, are today presenting the conclusions of the visit that IMF experts have paid to Bucharest for a week. The IMF recommends a balanced mix of monetary and fiscal policies and support for investments, for the growth rate registered last year to be maintained this year. During talks with Romanian officials, the international experts highlighted the importance of improving budget collection and maintaining expenditure within reasonable limits. Currently, Bucharest no longer has a financing agreement with the IMF, but the latter carries out an annual assessment of the Romanian economy. This is a surveillance exercise that all member states must undergo.



    DNA – The Superior Council of Magistracy has published the motivation for the negative opinion it issued with regard to the Justice Ministers request to remove Laura Codruta Kovesi from the office of Chief-Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA). The Council states in the motivation that the request for dismissal made no reference to any violation of responsibility or to the managerial component targeted by the request. According to the prosecutors department of the Council, carrying out certain criminal procedures in a manner that is different from a previous interpretation of the Constitutional Court cannot be interpreted as a violation of responsibilities. The opinion issued by the Council of Magistracy is only advisory. According to the law, president Klaus Iohannis must make a decision with regard to Kovesis dismissal. He has stated though that both the National Anticorruption Directorate and its Chief Prosecutor have done a good job. We recall that Minister Tudorel Toader requested last month the removal of Laura Codruta Kovesi and presented 20 arguments to support his request. However, at the meeting of the Superior Council of Magistracy held two weeks ago, the Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi stated that the reasons invoked by Toader were unreal, ungrounded and unproven.



    POVERTY – The risk poverty among the employed population in Romania was almost double in 2016 as compared to the EU average, according to data made public by Eurostat on Friday. Romania registered the highest rate in the EU (18.9%), followed by Greece, Spain, Luxembourg, Italy and Bulgaria. The lowest risk of poverty was registered by Finland, the Czech Republic, Belgium and Ireland. On the other hand, the annual inflation rate in the EU dropped in 18 member states, stayed flat in two countries, and increased in seven, including Romania. In Bucharest, data published earlier by the National Statistics Institute show that in February the annual inflation rate went up to 4.7%, from 4.3% in January 2018, against the background of consumption goods becoming more expensive. For the end of the year 2019, the National Bank of Romania estimates an inflation rate of 3.1%.



    INVESTIGATION – British authorities have announced the resumption of investigations into a string of suspect deaths that have occurred in the past years on British soil, and also after the poisoning of the former Russian spy Serghei Skripal and his daughter. Great Britain, Germany, France and the US have issued a joint statement, saying that the only plausible explanation is Russias involvement. On the other side, Russia has termed the allegations a nonsense. The Salisbury attack will be the main subject on the agenda of the meeting that the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will have with the British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Stoltenberg has stated that the incident is evidence of Moscows reckless behavior for years. The NATO report presented on Thursday states that Russia is the main threat to the organization, against the background of Crimeas annexation, the support provided to the separatists in eastern Ukraine, the military presence in Georgia and the Republic of Moldova, the interference in the Western Balkan area and the attempts to undermine democratic elections and institutions.



    BOOK FAIR – As of today, Romania is one of the 45 participants in the Paris Book Fair, which has reached its 38th edition. Under the logo “Romania as you have never read it before”, the Romanian stand presents more than 50 recent titles and some 20 events, enjoying the participation of writers, translators, editors and diplomats. Also, Romania is a guest of honour at the International Book Fair in Leipzig, Germany, which started on Thursday. “Zoom in Romania” is the motto of Romanias participation, aimed at promoting Romanian contemporary authors in more than 70 events.




  • March 6, 2018 UPDATE

    March 6, 2018 UPDATE


    IMMUNOGLOBULIN CRISIS – Austria is the first country to respond to Romanias call for immunoglobulin, after Bucharest activated the European Mechanism for Civil Protection. The Romanian Health Minister Sorina Pintea has stated that there is no single dose left in the country, and that is why international help is needed. The Secretary of State with the Interior Ministry Raed Arafat has announced that Romania has also resorted to the NATO Mechanism regarding the provision of immunoglobulins. The Health Ministry has explained that the discontinuity in the supply of immunoglobulin was generated by the withdrawal from the market of producers that were covering more than 80% of the immunoglobulin needs. Romania needs 956 kilograms of immunoglobulins every year.



    COOPERATION – Romanias Prime Minister Viorica Dancila on Tuesday had a phone conversation with her Bulgarian counterpart Boiko Borisov, focusing on the organisation of a joint government session. According to a press release issued by the Romanian Government, Mrs. Dancila stressed the close partnership between the two neighbours and the importance of further developing it. The two officials discussed the organisation of a new Romania – Bulgaria – Greece – Serbia top-level meeting. Prime Minister Dancila also congratulated Bulgaria for its presidency of the EU Council.



    EU COUNCIL PRESIDENCY – The Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu stated on Tuesday that preparations for Romanias taking over the presidency of the EU Council were on schedule. According to the Minister, there are several institutions involved in the preparations, including Parliament, the Cabinet and the Presidential Administration. Negrescu made the statements at a conference he attended in the town of Pitesti, in the south, titled : “Romanias EU Council Presidency: Expectations, Challenges, Responsibilities”. Romania is due to hold the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019.



    MOLDOVA – At a press conference in Chisinau on Tuesday, held together with the interim Mayor of the Moldovan capital Silvia Radu, the Mayor of Bucharest Gabriela Firea announced that the two parties agreed to cooperate on outsourcing public services, with the aim of helping ensure an effective use of public money. She added that the two municipalities also intended to collaborate in urban regeneration projects. Firea said that Silvia Radu was very much interested in consolidating heritage buildings and wanted to learn from the Bucharest municipalitys expertise in the field. In turn, mayor Radu said that Gabriela Fireas visit to Chisinau was a step forward towards developing the good relations established in Bucharest on February 14th, when the two municipalities signed a cooperation agreement. Also, Firea announced that the Metropolitan Library in Bucharest will donate 20,000 volumes to the “B.P.Hasdeu” Library in Chisinau.



    ANTICORRUPTION – The Romanian state has one billion Euros to collect from asset seizures decided in cases prosecuted by the National Anticorruption Directorate, the chief prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi announced on Tuesday. The head of the Directorate stated that when talking about asset freezing, reference is made only to those assets that are on Romanian soil, and its interesting how criminals have found ways of hiding their assets abroad. Its the obligation of the Romanian tax authorities now to enforce the decisions as soon as possible, Kovesi added. In 2017, anticorruption prosecutors froze assets worth more than 200 billion Euros.



    FLU – 82 people have died from flu in Romania, according to the National Centre for Supervision and Control of Communicable Diseases. The last case reported is that of an 80-year old man from Bucharest, who had not been vaccinated against the flu and who was suffering from several diseases. According to official statistics, 1700 cases of flu were reported in the past week alone, as compared to only 85 in the same period last year.



    RUSSIAN SPY – The British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has stated that London will “respond appropriately and robustly” if the Russian state is found to have been involved in poisoning a Russian spy and his daughter. The two were hospitalised in Salisbury, in the south of England, after being found unconscious on a bench in a shopping center. The former spy is Sergei Skripal, aged 66, a former colonel of the Russian military intelligence service. Accused of espionage for the benefit of the United Kingdom, in 2006, Skripal was sentenced to 13 years in prison, but he got the status of refugee in England thanks to an exchange of prisoners between Moscow, London and Washington. Moscow claims that Sergei Skripal was paid 100,000 US dollars in exchange for providing the British intelligence service MI6 with the names of the Russian spies in Great Britain. 12 years ago, another Russian former spy, Aleksandr Litvinenko, was poisoned in London. Before dying, he said his assassination had been ordered by president Putin himself, but the Kremlin denied any involvement. (translated by Mihaela Ignatescu)




  • February 28, 2018

    February 28, 2018


    ANTI CORRUPTION – The Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate in Romania, Laura Codruta Kovesi, has today presented the 2017 activity report of the institution she has headed since May 2013. She has stated that last year was a difficult year for the fight against corruption, as it was fiercely challenged and questioned. Despite that, Mrs. Kovesi has announced that the anticorruption prosecutors solved more than 3800 cases, which is a record for the institution, and forfeited goods worth more than 200 million Euros. The presentation of the report comes against the background of the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader starting last week the procedure to dismiss Laura Codruta Kovesi. The final decision in this matter lies with the president of the country, Klaus Iohannis, who has stated that the Directorate and its leadership have been doing a very good job. Today, the head of state has said that he is waiting for a number of documents to substantiate his decision, stressing though that, quote we are far from dismissal.



    VISIT – The first vice-president of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Better Regulation, Interinstitutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights Frans Timmermans will be paying a formal visit to Bucharest on Thursday. According to the European Commission Representation in Romania, he will meet with president Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and the speakers of the two chambers of parliament, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu and Liviu Dragnea. Timmermans will also hold meetings with representatives of the judiciary and members of the parliamentary committee set up to amend the justice laws.



    JUSTICE – Romanian President Klaus Iohanniss competence to appoint judges for the offices of president and vice-president of the High Court of Cassation and Justice comes in violation of the constitutional competence of the Superior Council of Magistracy, reads the Romanian Constitutional Courts decision on the modifications brought to the status of judges and prosecutors. On January 30th, the Constitutional Court advised that the law was, in its entirety, constitutional as regarded the criticism formulated by the High Court of Cassation and Justice and the National Liberal Party. Among other things, these modifications stipulate that the president and vice-presidents of the High Court of Cassation and Justice are appointed by Romanias president, based on the proposals made by the Judges Department of the Superior Council of Magistracy, and the head of state cannot refuse these appointments. The Constitutional Court noted that the presidents responsibility would be devoid of content if he would not be able to refuse the appointment of a magistrate, but the elimination of this right does not raise constitutionality issues, as it allows a stronger role to be played by the Superior Council of Magistracy as guarantor of the independence of the judiciary.



    MOTION – The National Liberal Party has today filed in plenary sitting of the Chamber of Deputies a simple no-confidence motion against the Education Minister Valentin Popa. According to the Liberals, what the coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats has done with regard to education, was to close schools in the year in which we celebrate 100 years since the Great Union, to sack inspectors via fax machines because they failed to comply with the directions set by the party, and hold examinations outside the law. Also, the school dropout rate is on the rise, young people have no possibility to learn about trades in school, and diplomas are far from attesting competences. All these, the Liberals say, are alarm signals that call for an urgent dismissal of the education minister. The leader of the Liberal Group in the Chamber of Deputies Raluca Turcan has stated that this should happen before it is too late.



    EXTREME WEATHER – Europe keeps being affected by the bad weather caused by a cold wave from Siberia. Severe weather warnings are in place in many countries neighboring Romania, and more roads and highways are likely to be closed. In Bulgaria, for instance, codes red and orange warnings have been issued for blizzard and frost. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has issues travel warnings for Hungary, Ukraine, Poland, France, Sweden and Ireland, which are all under codes yellow and orange for heavy snow, blizzard and frost. Extremely low temperatures have also been recorded in central Europe, in countries like Germany, Italy and Spain. From the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean, the cold wave, dubbed the Beast from the East by the British media, has claimed at least 24 lives in the past days and has severely hampered traffic. On the other hand, the Arctic region is faced with abnormally high temperatures, spiking over 30 degrees. (translated by Mihaela Ignatescu)




  • October 3, 2017 UPDATE

    October 3, 2017 UPDATE


    BUSINESS FORUM – The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and his Croat counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who is on a state visit to Bucharest, on Tuesday opened the works of the Romanian – Croat Business Forum. On the occasion, the Romanian President pointed out that bilateral trade exchanges neared 300 million euros. In his opinion, although this is a low level given the potential of the two economies, recent developments are nevertheless encouraging. During Mondays talks the two presidents approached, among other things, ways to improve cooperation within the EU and NATO.



    VISIT – Romanias Prime Minister Mihai Tudose, on a visit to neighbouring Bulgaria, on Tuesday stated that, within a year, the two countries would be joining the Schengen agreement. In a joint conference with his Bulgarian counterpart Boiko Borisov, Tudose also said that the two countries were “condemned to be together” with regard to Schengen accession. The two officials chaired in Varna the fourth joint working session of Bucharest and Sofia government representatives. The agenda of the meeting included topics such as economic cooperation, transport and energy infrastructure, regional development and cross-border cooperation. A joint declaration on the main directions of bilateral, regional, European, Euro-Atlantic and international cooperation was signed in the presence of the two officials. Also in Varna, the Romanian Prime Minister attended a 4-party summit involving the participation of Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece.



    CARTEL ALFA – One of the most important trade union confederations in Romania, Cartel Alfa, will stage a protest meeting on Wednesday, in front of the Government building. Protesters are unhappy with authorities decision to have employees pay social contributions, a responsibility that used to be that of the employer, and call for collective employment agreements to be concluded at all levels. Trade unionists are also unhappy with the public salary law and the social dialogue law. According to Cartel Alfa, the meeting will be attended by some 10,000 people.



    CONSTITUTIONAL COURT – The Constitutional Court of Romania on Tuesday stated that the chief-prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate Laura Codruta Kovesi has to appear before the parliamentary committee investigating the 2009 presidential election. Also, according to the Court, Kovesi must provide all the documents requested by the committee. The Constitutional Court discussed the requests for settling the legal conflict between Parliament and the Public Ministry, which is part of the judicial authority. The requests were filed by the Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea, after the head of the Anticorruption Directorate refused to appear before the committee. The General Prosecutors Office had also started an investigation into the 2009 presidential elections, but the case was classified. Both investigations were started following allegations by a controversial journalist, who claimed that the elections were influenced by high-ranking state officials, including heads of powerful public institutions. The election was won by the right wing representative Traian Basescu, to the detriment of the Social Democrat Mircea Geoana.



    CORRUPTION – The Romanian Senate has rejected the request filed by the National Anticorruption Directorate to start the prosecution of the minister for the relation with Parliament Viorel Ilie. 77 senators voted against and 37 for. The Anticorruption Directorate accuses Ilie of instigation to direct and indirect use of information that are not to be made public and of allowing the access of unauthorized people to such information, during his ministerial term. In late July, the Minister for the Relation with Parliament organized an employment contest, which, according to the National Anticorruption Directorate, was arranged to favour certain candidates.



    SIMPLE MOTION – On Wednesday, the Romanian Parliament will debate and vote on the simple motion filed by the main opposition party, the National Liberal Party, against the Transport Minister Razvan Cuc. The signatories of the motion are accusing minister Cuc of faulty management, lack of professionalism and excessive politization within the ministry. Also, the liberals say the minister has blocked large infrastructure projects, whose deadlines have long been exceeded.



    CATALONIA – An anti-police strike on Tuesday gripped the province of Catalonia, in north-eastern Spain. Catalan trade unions called the strike to show public anger at Spanish police violence during Sundays referendum on the regions independence. Some 300,000 people took to the streets of Barcelona and other cities across Catalonia to denounce the violent intervention of the police during the referendum and to defend the results of the referendum, which was declared illegal by the central government. The leader of the Catalan regional government Carles Puigdemont called for the withdrawal of the riot police deployed in Madrid and said international mediation was needed. In Bucharest, Romanian Foreign Ministry representatives reiterated Romanias firm support for Spains sovereignty and territorial integrity.



    NOBEL PRIZE – Three American astrophysicists, Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish and Kip Thorne on Tuesday won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their studies on gravitational waves. The Nobel Prize in Physics is the second prize announced in the series of prizes made public each year. On Wednesday the Nobel Prize in Chemistry will be announced. According to tradition, the Nobel Prizes will be handed to their winners as part of an official ceremony to be held on December 10, the day when the death of the founder of the Nobel Prize, Alfred Nobel, is commemorated.



    TENNIS TOURNAMENT – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ranking 2nd in the WTA classification, on Tuesday qualified for the eighth finals of the Beijing tournament, with 6.4 million dollars in prize money. She defeated the Slovak player Magdalena Rybarikova, no. 28 WTA, who abandoned the game in the second set. In the next round Simona will play against the Russian Maria Sarapova, no. 104 WTA, whom she has not managed to defeat so far. Another Romanian player, Sorana Cirstea, has too qualified for the next round, after she defeated the American Christina McHale. The third Romanian player participating in the tournament, Monica Niculescu, will play on Wednesday against the Chinese Shuai Peng. (translated by M. Ignatescu)




  • Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi under attack by denigrators

    Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi under attack by denigrators

    In mid September, the Bucharest Tribunal decided to place under temporary arrest, for 30 days, the former Romanian Intelligence Officer Daniel Dragomir, accused of harassing the chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate Laura Codruta Kovesi, in the so-called ‘Black Cube’ case. A former senior employee of the General Directorate for Preventing and Combating Terrorism (DIICOT) with the Romanian Intelligence Office, Dragomir was last year indicted for influence peddling and money laundering.



    According to the DIICOT, he subsequently resorted to the Israeli Security company ‘Black Cube’ to denigrate those whom he was blaming for his indictment. So far, three Israelis have been charged in this case, of whom two have been arrested, while the third managed to flee Romania, and is now internationally wanted. DIICOT claims that the three threatened Mrs. Kovesi on the phone and violated her electronic mailbox, illegally copying and transferring her correspondence.



    A few days ago, several top political figures in Romania sparked a new scandal, accusing the head of the National Anticorruption Directorate of plagiarism. United by a strange form of fraternization, the former president Traian Basescu and deputy Sebastian Ghita, a former Social — Democrat turned member of the populist yet marginal United Romania Party, have supported each other’s allegations on the issue. A counterattack by criminal offenders, this is how the media supporting the anti-corruption campaign carried out by the National Anticorruption Directorate dubbed the move, saying that both Ghita and people very close to Basescu have been indicted. In turn, the chief-prosecutor has denounced the unprecedented attacks against the institution she is heading and against her colleagues, aimed at discrediting the activity of the National Anticorruption Directorate.



    Laura Codruta Kovesi: “The attacks have been extremely aggressive lately. These are paid harassment campaigns, aimed at discrediting the National Anticorruption Directorate. The fact that these attacks have been perpetrated only by people that we are investigating, people accused of various felonies, stands proof of that. We are by no means intimidated, but obviously the goal of this campaign is to discredit us. I am sure that all these attacks of late, in which a lot of money has been invested, have been staged to this end, but our response is that we will continue our activity.”



    According to Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis, Laura Codruta Kovesi does not have to resign for now, as there is no evidence that she plagiarized her doctoral thesis. President Iohannis has stated, though, that he has called on the chief-prosecutor to urgently clarify this matter.


    (Translated by Mihaela Ignatescu)