Romania's governmental agent at the European Court of Human Rights Viorel Mocanu dismissed as suspicions loom

A key representative of the Romanian government at the European Court of Human Rights, who, as HotNews.ro has revealed, acted in support of a top official against whom he should have defended the Romanian state, was released from office, according to a decision by the Romanian PM on Wednesday.

• HotNews.ro has revealed that shortly after his taking over as Romania’s governmental agent at the ECHR in February 2019, Viorel Mocanu changed Romania’s line of defence in a case opened by the former leader of the governing Social Democrats (PSD), Liviu Dragnea. Instead of challenging the claims of Dragnea’s attorney against the Romanian state, Mocanu issued observations in which he supported those claims.

Information about his imminent departure started circulating earlier this month, but Mocanu’s official dismissal only came with the publication of the PM’s decision today.

• Background information on the Mocanu-Dragnea case at the ECHR