Public Prosecution Office

The government adopted at its Friday evening meeting the Justice Ministry's memorandum proposing the abolition of the Section for the Investigation of Criminal Offences in the Judiciary (SIIJ). The adoption of the memorandum does not mean that the government dismantles the SIIJ, but only that it assumes as an official stance Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu's proposition.

Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar dismissed Thursday evening accusations by of the head of the Magistrates' Investigation Section, Gheorghe Stan, that he had allegedly thrown grit in the gears of the newly established unit, hampering its supply with logistics and the conception of its organisational chart.

The Chief Prosecutor of the Magistrates' Investigation Section, Gheorghe Stan, said on Thursday evening that Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar had hampered the institution's activity so much so, that the legislator had to exceptionally intervene through three emergency ordinances in order to remove these obstacles.

Romania's Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar says that cases have always been built professionally, both in the trial and in the criminal prosecution stage, and is optimistic that the prosecution documents completed so far in the cases in the attention of the Public Prosecution Office will be kept as such.

Former head of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi was appointed on Wednesday by Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar to serve as delegated prosecutor with the Supervision and Control Service of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice.

The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) on Friday released on its website the protocol of cooperation with the Prosecution Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice (PICCJ) regarding the two institutions' fulfilling their tasks regarding national security.

In an interview with AGERPRES Romania's Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar defends his fellow prosecutors against the tendency to generalize a media-induced perception that investigations would be falling short of professional standards, prosecutors would misconduct and use abusive lingo.

President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday that a raft of vicious actions and manipulation attempts have been unleashed lately to dent the credibility of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) and subordinate justice, stressing that this is inadmissible.

A video recording purportedly showing Macedonian opposition Social Democrat leader Zoran Zaev arranging for receiving a bribe of EUR 200,000 in his capacity of Mayor of Strumica has been published online, independent .mk has reported.

BIRODI has called on the Public Prosecution Office to launch an investigation into the tender for de-watering the flooded Tamnava mine.

Key points of BIRN's investigation