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Southeast Europe
April 7, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 12
and outside the country fear is turning the country into another ‘illiberal democracy’ of the sort seen in Hungary, Turkey and Russia.
The publication also notes that since the election of Donald Trump as the US president, the “Russian threat” has been a key feature in Euro-Atlantic debates, from elections in Western Europe to geopolitical meddling in the Balkans.
Romania justice minister announces audit of anti- corruption bodies
bne IntelliNews
Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader has announced plans for an external audit at the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) and the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice.
Lately, there have been several attempts to try
to weaken the DNA’s credibility or to intimidate the head of the institution, while the government has also tried to water down anti-corruption legislation, leading to huge protests that forced the withdrawal of the legislation. A weaker DNA would serve the interests of many Romanian politicians who are being investigated for corruption, including former prime minister Victor Ponta and the leader of the senior ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) Liviu Dragnea, who wants to be PM but cannot assume the post for as long as there is an ongoing investigation into him.
“In line with a legal procedure, I will ask, as minister, for an external audit at the three bodies
Other geopolitical crises, such as the refugee crisis and the emergence of the Western Balkan migration route, have been a “welcome distraction” for autocrats. These were a convenient opportunity to become indispensable partners in stopping the inflow of refugees. At the same time, the latent fear of renewed tensions has been carefully stroked by political elites.
of the public ministry, DNA, DIICOT and the prosecutor’s office attached to the High Court,” Toader said, according to News.ro.
The minister said the audit will determine the number of cases managed by each prosecutor, the settlement terms, the number of cases reported to the European Court of Human Rights and the number of innocent citizens who spent time in prison.
Previously, Toader carried out an assessment of the heads of the DNA and the prosecutor’s office. However, despite harshly criticising DNA head Laura Codruta Kovesi and Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar, the minister decided not to start procedures to remove them from their posts.
His decision attracted criticism from Dragnea and other members of the governing coalition. The announcement of the audit comes shortly after Dragnea, who has publicly criticised Toader’s decision not to remove Kovesi and Lazar from their posts, announced his own plans for an