Under-fire Romanian corruption prosecutor wins backing
Romania's popular chief anti-corruption prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi won the backing of the country's top judicial body on Tuesday against government efforts to fire her. The Supreme Council of Magistrates (CSM) "rejects the demand by Justice Minister Tudorel Toader to dismiss Ms. Kovesi," the organisation's vice-president Codrut Olaru said. The non-binding opinion of the CSM, which oversees the independence of Romania's judiciary, was issued following a hearing of Kovesi also attended by Toader. As chief prosecutor in the DNA anti-corruption body, Kovesi has helped bring a raft of corrupt officials to justice in recent years in one of the EU's most graft-ridden countries. This has won the 44-year-old plaudits abroad but also enemies in high places in Romania, with many of those convicted members of, or close to, the left-wing ruling party. Last week Toader launched a procedure to sack Kovesi, detailing a litany of recriminations including that she "damaged the image" of Romania by criticising government judicial reforms. These reforms have raised worries abroad, as well as street protests at home, that the government is backtracking on tackling corruption. In Tuesday's hearing she defended the DNA's record, saying the complaints were "allegations with no basis in fact" and that she was entitled to express her opinion on legal matters. Thousands of Romanians braved freezing temperatures on Sunday to show their support for Kovesi, who according to surveys is one of the ex-communist country's most popular figures. The final decision on her fate lies with President Klaus Ionnahis, who is from the centre-right and who has said on several occasions that he backs both Kovesi and the DNA. More than 94,000 people have signed an online petition calling on Ionnahis not to dismiss her.
