{"id":8144,"date":"2025-12-15T10:00:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T10:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=8144"},"modified":"2025-12-15T10:00:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T10:00:23","slug":"rule-of-law-is-not-negotiable-romanian-president-says-as-justice-system-faces-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=8144","title":{"rendered":"\u201cRule of law is not negotiable,\u201d Romanian president says as justice system faces crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Nicu\u0219or Dan<\/strong> said the \u201crule of law is not negotiable\u201d and stressed that serious problems affecting the justice system can be resolved, as public concern grows following allegations of corruption highlighted in a recent investigative documentary by Recorder<\/a> titled \u201cCaptured Judiciary.\u201d People have been protesting<\/a> for several consecutive days following the media investigation, demanding changes to the justice laws so as to ensure the independence of the system and limit the possibility of abuses.<\/p>\n

In a statement made ahead of his departure to the EU Eastern Flank Summit in Helsinki<\/a>, the president said he was taking with him the concerns of Romanian society regarding the functioning of the justice system, which he said he shares.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe issues raised in the public sphere are serious, but they can be resolved. Within the limits of my constitutional powers, I will act to defend the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law. The rule of law is not negotiable,\u201d Dan said on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Romania to be a respected state internationally, it must first and foremost have fair, credible, and functional institutions at home. These two objectives do not exclude one another; they reinforce each other. The security of the state begins from within,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n

Nicu\u0219or Dan\u2019s remarks come amid protests in several Romanian cities following the release of Recorder\u2019s investigation, which alleges systemic interference in the judiciary, including the alleged manipulation of judicial panels and pressure on judges in high-profile corruption cases. The video investigation gathered roughly 4.5 million views on YouTube in about five days.<\/p>\n

Recorder journalists said the two-hour documentary is the result of more than a year and a half of investigation and seeks to explain how Romania\u2019s judicial system, a key pillar of democracy, has allegedly been captured by a network of magistrates and politicians.<\/p>\n

According to the investigation, political actors allegedly created a centralized legal framework that concentrated power in the hands of a small group of magistrates, who in turn delivered a form of justice favorable to powerful interests. The documentary includes testimonies from within the system, some given under protected identity, describing pressure on judges, manipulation of case allocation, and reprisals against magistrates who refuse to comply.<\/p>\n

In a recent reaction, justice minister Radu Marinescu told Digi24<\/a> that in a democracy, citizens have the full right to express their views, including through protests, and that signals pointing to dysfunctions in the justice system must not be ignored. Speaking live on the local news channel, he said he had publicly asked the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) and the Judicial Inspection to carry out checks into the allegations, stressing that the truth must be established based on evidence and that any wrongdoing must be investigated and sanctioned.<\/p>\n

He also noted that magistrates who claim there are serious irregularities in the system should present concrete data and evidence to support their claims.<\/p>\n

Previously, president Nicu\u0219or Dan\u00a0invited prosecutors and judges<\/a> to a meeting on December 22 to discuss concerns over the functioning of the judiciary.<\/p>\n

Last week, the\u00a0Bucharest Court of Appeal (CAB) held an unprecedented press conference<\/a> in response to the allegations raised in the media investigation published by\u00a0Recorder, with court president Liana Arsenie firmly rejecting the claims. However, at the start of the press event, a judge from within the institution publicly stated that the \u201ctoxic\u201d conditions described in the documentary are real.<\/p>\n

irina.marica@romania-insider.com<\/p>\n

(Photo source:\u00a0Inquam Photos \/\u00a0Alexandru\u00a0Nechez<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Nicu\u0219or Dan said the \u201crule of law is not negotiable\u201d and stressed that serious problems affecting the justice system can be resolved, as public concern grows following allegations of corruption highlighted in a recent investigative documentary by Recorder titled \u201cCaptured Judiciary.\u201d People have been protesting for several consecutive days following the media investigation, demanding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8144\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}