Constitutional court chairman says anti-graft body has to apply law, court's rulings

Chairman of the Constitutional Court (CCR) Valer Dorneanu told AGERPRES on Wednesday that the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) must apply the law and the rulings of the Constitutional Court, also wondering if the "mission" of the DNA chief Crin Bologa is to mobilise its prosecutors or to comment on the CCR rulings.

Dorneanu's reaction comes after Crin Bologa has recently said that the partial decriminalisation of abuse of office, as decided by CCR, has caused DNA to annul 800 cases with damages of hundreds of millions of euros, cases that would have gone to trial.

"Although I appreciate the professional qualities and the weight of the position falling on his shoulders, I did not understand what his mission is. His mission is to mobilise his prosecutors to carry out their activity under the best circumstances (...) Does he have a mission to qualify the work of the Constitutional Court? To question the rulings of the Constitutional Court? To comment on them and even to challenge legal provisions? I know that our rulings are mandatory for everybody, even for him. I also know that this institution must apply the law and must also apply the rulings of the Constitutional Court, as it must also apply the decisions of the Supreme Court of Cassation, not to comment on them (...) About the damages, I would like to ask him: how will he deem those damages that concerned crimes for which the Supreme Court pronounced acquittal? Where will those great prejudices go, as it is about very serious crimes, in which category?," said Dorneanu.

He added that there are authorities who "have a habit" of redirecting criticism, negative opinions about the activity of an institution to the Constitutional Court, "which somehow lacks power and influence."

"I am not very worried, because I know about the corps of prosecutors that they represent the professional elite. (...) I trust them," Dorneanu said.