The strange situations that arose after Nicușor Dan invited the magistrates to discussions. “We are not talking about human trafficking networks, we are talking about the third power in the state”
President Nicușor Dan declared on Sunday, December 21, that very few magistrates expressed their intention to participate in the discussions scheduled for Monday, in Cotroceni, citing messages of intimidation and the fear of possible repercussions.
President Nicușor Dan/PHOTO: Presidency.ro
It all started with the documentary produced by the Recorder regarding the problems in the judicial system and the reactions generated by the journalistic investigation, including a document that signals irregularities in the judiciary, signed by hundreds of magistrates.
In this context, Nicusor Dan invited the interested magistrates to discussions scheduled for Monday, December 22, and requested the transmission of documents, assumed or not assumed, which he promised to analyze.
However, the President of Romania announced that there were very few magistrates who expressed their intention to participate in the discussions scheduled for Monday.
“There were extremely few magistrates who expressed their intention to come to the talks compared to the thousand people who signed the letter you know. There are about 20 magistrates on behalf of individuals and about 20 magistrates on behalf of associations of magistrates”, the head of state sent on Sunday, during press statements.
“There were messages of influence, intimidation”
Nicușor Dan claimed that, before the talks with the magistrates, there were messages of influence and intimidation, and many of those invited avoided the meeting for fear that participation could have repercussions. The President categorized the situation as extremely serious, emphasizing that it is about justice, “the third power in the state”.
“All kinds of things happened in these days, which my colleagues who were in contact with these magistrates perceived. First of all, that, unusually, in certain institutions meetings were organized on “Monday, December 22”. There were messages of influence, intimidation.
Then, many of those who wrote to us requested that we meet, but not on December 22, precisely because there is a fear that attending such a meeting would have repercussions.
I even came up with inappropriate proposals: to come in turn, to stay in different rooms around here (not at Cotroceni), so that they don't cross each other, or even to have my colleagues pick them up from gas stations in Bucharest so that they don't see that they are entering the Cotroceni Palace. However, it is a very serious matter, we are not talking about human trafficking networks, we are talking about the third power in the state”, stated the President of Romania.
“Private conversations under confidentiality regime will be rescheduled”
That is why the head of state decided that on Monday, at 10:00 a.m., he will talk publicly with those who want to publicly undertake to convey a message, “and all private conversations in privacy will be rescheduled.”
“If any kind of allegations are made tomorrow that target someone in the system, there will be another public meeting as well where the people concerned can express their opinion, the defense against the accusations that are being brought, and because I have seen this matter mentioned in the public space, there is the opinion that the current situation in the justice system is a response to abuses that happened 10-15 years ago.
Anyone who wants to publicly here say things about said abuses is welcome to do so publicly. That is the first matter“, he said.
Dan Nicușor stated that he brought to Cotroceni all the messages received from the magistrates, approximately 2,000 pages, of which he read two thirds, and his colleagues analyzed everything and created a synthesis material.
He thanked the magistrates for the gesture of responsibility and said that the messages contain several types of problems.
