USR's Alexandrescu: Enforcement of new dispositions of Law on magistrates' statutes will determin 'ruin of judiciary'

The enforcement of the new dispositions as foreseen by the Law no. 303/2004 on the statute of magistrates will prompt "the ruining of the judiciary" through measures such as the artificial increase of the activity volume, the possibility for judges and prosecutors to retire after only 20 years of service or "probably an impressive retreat from the system" of the magistrates immediately after the law is published in the Official Gazette, on Monday night said the Save Romania Union (USR, opposition) senator Vlad Alexandrescu in the plenary sitting of the upper chamber.

"Another huge worry is the fact that the magistrates guild could be controlled through the Judicial Inspection's head, which will result in the magistrates prosecutors losing their de facto independence. Through the Judicial Inspection's organisation, the law will turn it into a support team of the chief inspector who will take on absolute attributions within the Inspection, appointing from among the judicial inspectors the ones who will be in charge, controlling and leading the inspection activity and the disciplinary inquiry, as well, basically imposing the solutions in a discretionary way. USR will not only vote against this draft law, but will go further and challenge this project, again, to the Constitutional Court," Alexandrescu asserted.

In turn, the Social Democratic Party (PSD, main at rule, ed. n.) senator Serban Nicolae stated that "had all of the speakers read the Constitution the way it appeared in the Official Gazette and not its abbreviated variant, they would have learned that the President of Romania has attributions and not rights. The rights go to the citizens."

The Senate as the decision-making chamber endorsed on Monday the amendments to the Law No.303/2004 regarding the statutes of magistrates, following the Constitutional Court decisions.

The amendments to the Law No.303/2004 was adopted by a vote of 83 in favour to 36 against.

None of the amendments rejected by the Special Committee and supported in the plenary meeting received the necessary number of votes for adoption.

AGERPRES.