“He'll have a good reason not to judge this time either.” A former CCR president criticizes the move made by the CAB for the day when the decision on the magistrates' pensions is expected

“They could give on another day. But it probably suits them” the situation, the former president of CCR Augustin Zegrean reacted on Monday, after the Bucharest Court of Appeal (CAB) postponed until January 16 the appeal against Constitutional Court judges Mihai Busuioc and Dacian Dragoş, i.e. the same day when CCR is expected to rule on the reform of magistrates' pensions.

Asked how he comments on the fact that the court hearings in both cases were set on the same day, just one hour apart, Augustin Zegrean said that, in this context, the judges from the CCR will have “a good reason not to judge this time either”.

“They could give on another day, that I don't think that the people from the Court of Appeal did not know that they have a meeting there at 10:00 a.m. (at CCR, no). But it suits them, probably, and they will have a good reason not to judge those from the Constitutional Court this time either”, said the former president of the CCR, for News.ro.

According to Augustin Zegrean, the two contested judges will probably be late at the Constitutional Court, but “there is no problem, because those there can wait for them”.

“Theoretically, there is no problem, because at 9:00 a.m. they go to the Court of Appeal, it doesn't take long there and then they go to the Constitutional Court and there, if necessary, they wait for them, because there is no tragedy”, explained Zegrean.

Regarding the possibility of the CAB pronouncing a decision against the two judges, Augustin Zegrean said that “this is another discussion”, but that, in his opinion, “it will not go that far”.

On Monday, January 5, the Bucharest Court of Appeal postponed to January 16, at 9:00 a.m., the ruling in the case of constitutional judges Mihai Busuioc and Dacian Dragoş, appointments challenged by lawyer Silvia Uscov, AUR member.

Mihai Busuic was appointed judge at the CCR at the proposal of the Senate, and Dacian Dragoș at the proposal of Nicușor Dan.

The unprecedented approach of the lawyer Silvia Uscov came in full blockage at the CCR generated by the four judges proposed to the CCR by the PSD: Cristian Deliorga, Gheorghe Stan, Bogdan Licu and Mihai Busuioc. They boycotted the CCR meetings for two days in a row, and this led to the lack of quorum, which did not allow a decision to be made.

Lawyer Uscov asked the Bucharest Court of Appeal to suspend the acts by which Mihai Busuioc and Dacian Cosmin Dragoș were appointed judges at the Constitutional Court, on the grounds that they do not meet the condition of 18 years of experience in the legal field required by the Constitution. They are challenged 5 months after their appointment.

Silvia Uscov's referrals, registered on December 30 and 31 at the Bucharest Court of Appeal, received a quick deadline, compared to other similar files.

One of the disputed CCR judges, Dacian Cosmin Dragoș, told HotNews that there are no doubts about the fulfillment of the legal conditions and that, in fact, this approach is being introduced “at an obviously strategic moment”.