Iohannis: There is deliberate confusion about statutes of prosecutors, an attempt to weaken their independence

President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday that discussing the statutes of prosecutors has become a "habit" in Romania, in which case he claims there is "deliberate" confusion in an attempt to weaken the independence of prosecutors.

"It has become a habit in Romania to intensely discuss the statutes of prosecutors; it is frequently pointed to the article in the Constitution that says the activity of prosecutors is carried out under the authority of the minister of justice. Let me be very clear: the words in the Constitution read under the authority of the minister of justice, and in no way subordinated to the minister. There is a deliberate confusion between these two meanings, precisely to induce the idea of much more extensive control over prosecutors than that provided for by the fundamental law. It is just an attempt to weaken the independence of prosecutors and legitimise their obedience to the whims of politics, an unacceptable fact," Iohannis said at the activity report meeting of the Public Prosecution Service.

He congratulated the prosecutors on their activities in 2017.

"The Public Prosecution Service has a very well-defined constitutional role, as the prosecutor is a representative of the general interests of the society and a defender of both the rule of law and the rights and liberties of the citizens. Putting together such attributes is not by hazard. By the virtue of their offices, prosecutors enjoy the statutes of magistrates. Impartiality, integrity and professionalism make prosecutors responsible for the correct and complete building of cases, with full respect for the civil rights of all those involved in the criminal justice process," added Iohannis. AGERPRES (RO - author: Florentina Peia, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)