The government responds to Lia Savonea's accusations regarding pressure on the CCR: “The truth cannot constitute a form of interference”

On Friday, the government rejected the accusations of the head of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, Lia Savonea, according to which the prime minister put pressure on the Constitutional Court through the letter sent by the prime minister Ilie Bolojan to the CCR regarding the reform of magistrates' pensions, according to an answer sent by the spokeswoman Ioana Dogioiu to HotNews. G4Media also previously reported on this answer.

The judges of the Constitutional Court will meet in session on February 11 to discuss the referral of the High Court of Justice and Cassation against the reform of the magistrates' pensions.

The spokeswoman of the Executive, Ioana Dogioiu, conveyed, on Friday, that the prime minister did not ask for a certain verdict and did not issue warnings, but presented “a factual situation”.

“The prime minister did not put any kind of pressure on the CCR, did not issue warnings, let alone ask for a certain verdict. He presented a factual situation, starting from the principle that a court must be fully informed when formulating a decision,” Dogioiu said.

The spokeswoman of the Executive also said that a similar approach was previously taken even by Lia Savonea, who submitted to the Constitutional Court an expertise on the evolution of magistrates' pensions.

“This is what Ms. Lia Savonea also considered necessary when she sent the CCR an expertise on the perspective of the evolution of magistrates' pensions, extremely questionable in terms of accuracy, however,” said the Government spokeswoman.

“The interpretation of Ms. Lia Savonea regarding the causes of non-fulfillment of a PNRR milestone is not within the prime minister's concerns, especially when they contradict the official interpretation of the European Commission. So, of course, the CCR is sovereign regarding the decision, but it must be fully informed. The truth cannot constitute any form of pressure or interference,” continued Ioana Dogioiu.

Lia Savonea accuses “pressure”

The head of the supreme court, Lia Savonea, accused the prime minister of pressure and interference, after he sent a letter to the CCR in which he says that Romania will lose money from the PNRR if the Court does not take a decision on the magistrates' pensions.

In a press release called “Appeal to the Prime Minister to respect the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary”, Savonea claims that the “warning” regarding the loss of European funds, but also the request that the court take into account financial consequences “represents an interference incompatible with the principle of separation of powers in the state”.

The President of the ICCJ emphasizes that the CCR is not part of the implementation process of government policies and “not an instrument for validating the financial objectives of the Executive. Its only role is to guarantee the supremacy of the Constitution, and its decisions must be the exclusive result of legal analysis, not of considerations of political or budgetary expediency.”

The invocation of Article 148 of the Constitution – regarding the role of the Romanian state authorities in fulfilling the obligations assumed by Romania in relation to the European Union – cannot justify the exercise of pressure, be they indirect, on a jurisdictional authority, claims Savonea.

“The independence of the judiciary is not an obstacle to Romania's European commitments, but one of their essential conditions. Any approach that can be perceived as an attempt to influence a constitutional court risks causing serious damage to the credibility of the state's institutions and public trust in its democratic functioning.

In an authentic state of law, the dialogue between the authorities cannot take the form of pressure, and compliance with the Constitution cannot be conditioned by financial considerations.

We address to you, Mr. Prime Minister, the invitation to publicly reaffirm the Government's attachment to the principle of judicial independence and to avoid, in the future, any approach likely to be interpreted as an interference in the activity of the jurisdictional authorities”, adds Lia Savonea.

Ilie Bolojan's message for the head of CCR

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan sent a letter to the president of the Constitutional Court, Simina Tănăsescu, on Friday in which he says that Romania depends on the decision of the CCR of February 11 in order to still have the chance to receive the 231 million euros related to the milestone regarding the reform of the magistrates' pensions from the National Program for Recovery and Resilience (PNRR).

The European Commission now considers that the milestone has not been met, but is waiting for the CCR's decision on the Government's project that reduces magistrates' pensions and increases their retirement age.

“However, the Commission will not transmit an official information letter regarding the evaluation results before February 11, 2026. Also, the Commission will transmit this information publicly only after this date, and will make a final decision based on the information transmitted by the Romanian authorities”, according to the letter sent by Bolojan to the head of the CCR.