Head of Romanian SC blasts ‘pressure’ on judges

BUCHAREST: The head of Romania’s Supreme Court on Thursday condemned what she called rising pressure on judges involved in high-profile cases.

"It seems like being a target of slander is in my job description", Cristina Tarcea told reporters after a meeting of a supervisory body for the judiciary.

Her comments come as the leftwing government steps up its attacks against what it says are "abuses" on the part of the judiciary.

"In a normal society, an allegation must be proved. We are not in a normal society, but in one which is characterised by general paranoia, one in which every weakness, real or not, is assumed to cast a shadow over the judicial system," Tarcea said.

Her rare public outburst came after she was accused of working with the intelligence services outside her normal remit, a charge she firmly denies.

On 21 June the court that Tarcea leads is expected to give a verdict in a case involving the head of the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) Liviu Dragnea, widely acknowledged to be the most powerful politician in the country.

Earlier this week, judges and prosecutors expressed their outrage after Dragnea compared prosecutors to the communist-era secret police.

"Magistrates are right to be outraged," centre-right president Klaus Iohannis told reporters on Wednesday.

"How can a politician, who is also a felon, dare to threaten prosecutors on TV?" asked Iohannis, who has frequently clashed with the government.

Dragnea, 55, was prevented from becoming prime minister by a 2015 conviction for vote-rigging.

He has claimed anti-corruption prosecutors are acting as part of a "parallel state" but critics say he is one of many in Romania’s elite irritated by moves to try to clamp down on corruption in one of the EU’s most graft-prone countries.

The government scored a victory last month with a Constitutional Court verdict which ordered Iohannis to approve the sacking of top anti-corruption prosecutor Laura Kovesi.

Iohannis said that he needs more time to reflect on the judgement but local media reports say if he attempts to delay Kovesi’s sacking, the PSD may launch impeachment proceedings against him.