Mr. Robert Cazanciuc: There was a procedure started when the Interim Minister of Justice was the Prime Minister. This is why I invited him to this ceremony. Also, as I told, I had the vote of confidence of the CSM colleagues for the proposed team and I wanted this formula to include all present here, today. I thank them once again. I request Prime Minister to tell us a few words for the beginning.

PM Victor Ponta:

Madam President,
Minister,
Ladies and gentlemen Prosecutors,

I thank you for this opportunity to come in this building. On April 4, 2001, by 12.00, I left this building, thinking to return the next day, but this did not happen –life is full of surprises, after 12 years. I want first of all to wish success to those who as of today, you occupy management posts within the General Prosecutor’s Office, DNA, DIICOT, to tell you frankly that I do not want to speak about Prosecutors as of today. I think we spoke too much lately and you do not need too many political statements, to tell just that, it is true that the proposal referring to the six positions belongs to me, as Interim Minister of Justice; the proposal was afterwards approved by the Prosecutors Unit of the Superior Council of Magistracy, and the appointments were made by President. In three years, it is very likely that neither the President, nor the Prime Minister who nominated you, not to hold the incumbent position, it is not about this. Your only duty – as I learnt in good times – for law enforcement, to be as strict as possible in law enforcement. Here, surely, my old habits speak for themselves, when I speak about toughness. It is an extremely conducive context: appointments, stability after a very long interim. You have not only a Prime Minister, former Prosecutor, a Minister of Justice , former Prosecutor, President of CSM, Prosecutor. Some will say that there are too many Prosecutors at the helm of state institutions, but the idea of legality and sanctioning those who infringe law, is a good idea, in my opinion, and if this is brought by Prosecutors, former Prosecutors in the posts they occupy, is extremely well.
For the rest, with one occasion, I will further comment from the public office the activity of the Prosecutor’s Office, when I will ask you to convey to the public results, what happened, whether or not a certain person is guilty. It is important that your activity to observe the law, but also to be communicated, because, otherwise, others communicate for you, and the outcome is that nobody is liable. I want only on this occasion – I told it at the meeting with the Prosecutor Department of CSM to assure you that as long as I am Prime Minister and leader of an important political group in Parliament, any amendment of the status of Prosecutors will be made to consolidate the status of magistrate, the independence of Prosecutors, and not the viceversa. I very clearly expressed my view, and I think that not only the Prosecutors should remain magistrates, but we should clarify even that idea of authority of the Justice Minister – in fact his authority remained simple fiction, and the current or future Justice Ministers should understand that they are not the chiefs of Justice – it is worse to be liable for something on which you have no authority, but they have a totally different role. I wish you a lot of success, keep solving the files. I have confidence that you will enforce as so far the law, irrespective of the one aimed at, and you will never hear me, from now on, speaking about political files. I think that the role of the Prosecutor’s Office is to sanction the guilty ones, to enforce the law and to never return in the history.
I do not want anymore to see what I saw last year, scenes from ‘50s, with Prosecutors in holidays who are investigating people across the country. I think you have very many people who infringed the law and who should answer for it, and I am absolutely convinced that you will further do it.

As far as I am concerned, legislative and thereafter, at a time like I talk to the Minister of Justice, to the President of CSM probably I am going to discuss with the Prosecutor’s General, including about the budget. Everything the Government can do for you to have better conditions of work, but I think the most important thing was your magistrate status stability, independence status, and management functions stability.
Nothing was worse than to have interim chiefs who every few months must come back to extend their term. I think things should now ... or better you have to have all the conditions for the activity to be carried out normally and in my case, as a former prosecutor, envious I can not enter the competition for these positions, I can only make suggestions as far as the law allowed . I am absolutely convinced that things which went bad in the past, are put right, and that good things will continue. I wish you much success. It was a great pleasure to be in this room. I wish you very good luck and as I said, I hope to see you in three years too, and to speak until then about the good things that the Public Ministry does.

 

 

Minister Robert Cazanciuc: Thank you Mr. Prime Minister and I am absolutely convinced that all colleagues here present and those of the country are watching us and have pretty high expectations of us, meaning to find support when they need it.