Romanian Parliament Scraps Ex-Govt’s Disputed Special Court

Romania's centre-right-dominated parliament on Wednesday voted to dismantle the so-called Special Court for the Investigation of Magistrates. The law will now go to the Senate, where the ruling coalition also has a majority.

The tribunal was established under the government of the Social Democratic Party, PSD, led by the now-jailed Liviu Dragnea, who ran the country from the shadows from January 2017 until his conviction for corruption in May 2019 - and who pushed foward a controversial reform of the justice system that attracted thousands of protesters to the streets in Bucharest at the time. 

The court was heavily criticized by civil society organisations, the US and the European Commission as an instrument designed to intimidate judges.

The Chamber of Deputies adopted the law, which was pushed forward by the government, with 171 votes in favour and 136 against.

However, the move hasn't satisfied the many critics of the tribunal. 

A provision of the new law says that the Superior Council of the Magistrature, a body composed of representatives of the judges, must give a green light before a magistrate is sent to trial.

In an open letter published this week, over a thousand judges rejected the "super-immunity" that this provision grants magistrates, and argued that it could "sabotage the fight against corruption as much as the existence" of the scrapped court itself.

Concerns about this "super-immunity" were raised also by the US embassy. In an interview published this week by news portal G4Media, the US chargé d'affaires David Muniz welcomed the elimination of the special court but said the provision in question "sends the wrong message".

Muniz encouraged the pro-government majority in parliament to pass the...

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