US warns Romania not to ‘step back’ in corruption fight

BUCHAREST: Romania should not take "a step back" in its anti-corruption efforts, a US official said on Monday, as its left-wing government tries to dismiss the country’s top graft fighter.

"The US supports your anti-corruption institutions, through them you are a role model to the region," US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell told a University of Bucharest audience.

"You have made significant progress and now is not a moment in history when we would want to see Romania take a step back from there," Mitchell added. Romania’s left-wing government wants to sack the head of the anti-graft office, Laura Codruta Kovesi, for "harming the image of the country".

Critics say such moves undermine anti-corruption efforts in one of the EU’s most graft-ridden countries. Centre-right President Klaus Iohannis, who has frequently clashed with the government, has tried to resist authorising Kovesi’s removal. However, in May, the constitutional court ordered Iohannis to dismiss Kovesi.

The government accuses prosecutors of acting beyond their remit and has organised demonstrations against what it calls "abuses" by the judiciary. One of the most high-profile critics is Liviu Dragnea, head of the ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD), who was barred from becoming prime minister because of a conviction for vote-rigging.