People with legal work experience gained abroad will also be allowed to compete for the post of Prosecutor General or of Chief Prosecutor of specialized prosecution offices, under a set of amendments approved by Parliament in first reading. The bill also introduces a special commission for appointing chief prosecutors of specialized offices. The commission will include three members appointed by the Superior Council of Prosecutors, one by the Ministry of Justice and another one by the President.
The Communist-Socialist Bloc criticized the bill as a further attempt to politicize the prosecution service.
“The proposal aims to install truly independent people with recognized professional experience both inside and outside the country,” stated Legal Commission chair Olesea Stamate (PAS).
The appointment commission will hold interviews, verify the integrity of candidates and will submit the results for consideration to the Superior Council of Prosecutors. However, the Council will be able to evaluate applications on its own and select itself the candidate to be proposed for appointment, even if it’s not the winner of the original selection process.
The bill also proposes limiting the term of an interim Prosecutor General to 12 months, after which, if no proper selection process is held to fill in the vacancy, the Council may suggest the President to appoint a new caretaker.
Com-Soc lawmaker Vasile Bolea criticized the bill: “After you took control over the Council, removed the Prosecutor General and started criminal proceedings against him, now you want to put your own people in charge at the specialized prosecution offices. This is unconstitutional, in particular the delegation of two political representatives - from the Minister of Justice and from the President”.
The bill passed the first reading with the vote of 54 PAS lawmakers.
