Minister of Justice, message to magistrates: “Have the courage to tell the truth and come up with concrete elements”

The Minister of Justice, Radu Marinescu, had a message for the magistrates on Monday, while President Nicușor Dan was holding talks with them at the Cotroceni Palace on Monday and in the context of announcing that he would initiate a referendum in January within the body of magistrates. “Have the courage to tell the truth, come with concrete elements,” said the relevant minister in an intervention on Digi24.

“My message to the magistrates: have the courage to tell the truth, to come with the concrete elements that support these accusations and complaints. Let the Judicial Inspection check what falls within its competence, and let's do the analyzes related to the legislation within the existing working group,” said the Minister of Justice, live on Digi24.

Asked whether or not the CSM acts in the public interest, starting from the question launched by President Nicușor Dan, Radu Marinescu stated that he cannot make statements about other institutions that belong to the judicial system, even if he is a member of the CSM as Minister of Justice.

“In the judiciary, problems and disagreements have existed for a long time, and the judicial system knows the turmoil and controversies that have been found and are also found in other sectors. Mr. President said that he received accusations, but not facts. Concrete evidence is very important in the judiciary. I believe that anyone who has something to complain about – whether it is a personal situation or a matter of principle – can do so freely, but they must also come with elements to support the statements made. (…) At “The Ministry of Justice has not received any notification regarding specific abuses, persecuted persons or systemic problems. This does not mean that we are not paying attention to what is being discussed at Cotroceni. Any person who believes that he is a victim of abuse must say so, and the competent authorities must make the necessary checks,” the minister said.

On Sunday, in a press statement, President Nicușor Dan announced that in January he will initiate a referendum within the body of magistrates with a single question: “Does the CSM act in the public interest or does it act in the interest of a group within the judicial system?”.

“In January, immediately after the holidays, I will initiate a referendum within the body of magistrates with a single question: Does the Superior Council of Magistracy act in the public interest or does it act in the interest of a group within the judicial system? And if the magistrates as a whole say yes, the CSM acts in the public interest, we will continue the legislative discussions, but if the majority of the magistrates say that the CSM does not represent the public interest, but the interest of the guild, then the CSM will leave immediately”, declared Nicușor Dan, at the Cotroceni Palace.

The leader from Cotroceni talked for almost 10 hours with the magistrates in several rounds, both publicly and privately. First, for three and a half hours, Nicușor Dan talked with the judges and prosecutors who chose to speak publicly about the problems in the judiciary. Then the president received two other groups of magistrates who requested that the meeting be private. All in all, with breaks, the negotiations started at 10:00 and ended almost at 20:00.