Tag: corruption

Romania’s Anti-Corruption Struggle After Kövesi

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Romania’s anti-corruption landscape underwent dramatic upheaval following Laura Codruța Kövesi’s controversial dismissal from DNA in July 2018. What followed was a period of institutional crisis, political warfare, and gradual recovery that fundamentally reshaped the country’s fight against corruption. The period from 2018-2025 represents both the greatest threat to Romania’s anti-corruption institutions and their ultimate resilience under sustained pressure. The dismissal marked the beginning of a systematic campaign by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) government to weaken judicial independence, triggering the largest protests since 1989 and unprecedented EU intervention. While institutional damage was severe, the eventual reversal of harmful policies and formal end of EU special monitoring in 2022 demonstrated the strength of democratic checks and balances when supported by civil society mobilization and international pressure. The constitutional crisis that broke DNA’s momentum The circumstances surrounding Kövesi’s dismissal in July 2018 revealed the fragility of prosecutorial independence when faced with determined political interference. Justice Minister Tudorel Toader initiated proceedings in February 2018 with a devastating 20-category assessment accusing Kövesi of authoritarian behavior, illegal agreements with intelligence services, and Constitutional Court violations. Despite the Superior Council of Magistracy’s negative opinion rejecting the dismissal as unfounded, the Constitutional Court ultimately forced President Iohannis Read More …

Romania’s Post-Băsescu Anti-Corruption Revolution: DNA’s Unprecedented Prosecutorial Campaign

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The “dosarele post-Băsescu” phenomenon represents the most transformative anti-corruption campaign in Romania’s post-communist history. Between 2014 and 2018, DNA prosecuted over 4,700 defendants including two prime ministers, 68 high-ranking officials, and hundreds of mayors, achieving a remarkable 90% conviction rate while recovering hundreds of millions of euros. This unprecedented judicial offensive fundamentally altered Romania’s political landscape, establishing that no official—regardless of rank or political affiliation—stood above the law. The timing was striking: within months of President Klaus Iohannis replacing Traian Băsescu in December 2014, Romania witnessed an explosion of high-level prosecutions that had been notably absent during the previous decade. Under DNA chief Laura Codruța Kövesi’s leadership, the agency evolved from a specialized unit into a semi-autonomous prosecutorial powerhouse that would ultimately prosecute sitting prime ministers, cabinet ministers, and business moguls with equal fervor. The phenomenon represented both the apex of Romania’s judicial independence and a source of intense political controversy that continues to shape the country’s democratic development. The institutional architecture of unprecedented prosecutions Laura Codruța Kövesi’s leadership of DNA from 2013 to 2018 created the institutional framework that enabled Romania’s anti-corruption revolution. Appointed initially by President Băsescu, Kövesi transformed DNA from 91 prosecutors in 2003 to 158 by Read More …