President Iohannis announces he does not remove from office DNA head

President Klaus Iohannis announced on Monday that he does not remove from office Laura Codruta Kovesi as Chief Prosecutor of the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA).

"The reasons for the removal from office presented by the justice minister were not such as to convince me. Moreover, for the most part, they do not even correspond to the applicable legal provisions. In conclusion, I will not follow through the justice minister's proposal to remove from office Mrs. Kovesi, Chief Prosecutor of DNA," Iohannis stated at Cotroceni Presidential palace.

Justice Minister Tudorel Toader announced on 22 February that he would launch the procedure to remove from office the Chief Prosecutor of the National Anti-corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi for "acts and deeds intolerable in a rule of law."

The Section for Prosecutors of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) gave a negative opinion on 27 February to Justice Minister Tudorel Toader's proposal to remove from office DNA's Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi.