Romanian Constitutional Court head criticized by Supreme Council of the Magistracy for statements related to court decisions

The members of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy (CSM) on Tuesday criticized the statements made on a TV station by the President of the Constitutional Court (CCR) Valer Dorneanu, who talked about the decisions of the courts in which they would feel the political influence, CSM believing that this affects the independence of the judiciary, according to news.ro news agency.

The statements that generated the CSM’s criticism were made by Dorneanu in an interview with B1TV station, where he said: „No offence for my fellow colleagues, but I would not want to count in how many cases there is a political influence over some common court decisions and how many at us”.

In Dorneanu’s interview in early October, Dorneanu also referred to the case in which Liviu Dragnea, leader of the governing Social Democratic Party (PSD), is tried for instigation of abuse of office, along with his ex-wife, Bombonica Prodana and former employees of a local authority in his home county of Teleorman. At one point, Valer Dorneanu interrupted the reporter and continued: „… the file in which he is accused of hiring some people at … Well, what is that, that’s corruption? That’s abuse in office.”

„We have asked for the independence of the judiciary to be defended and insist that you look with the utmost attention. The statements are not isolated, this time they are of the president of CCR. Personally, I had far greater expectations. I find these statements very serious. Generic indications that there are court decisions from which you can see the political opinion it seems to me absolutely revolting. I would never want anyone to understand that Romanian judges are doing politics through the act that makes the purpose of our existence. It is absolutely outrageous for the president of CCR to make such a statement,” said Bogdan Mateescu, a member of the CSM, who also requested an extension of the agenda on this subject.