The Ministry of Justice announced on Tuesday that the selection process has begun for the positions of Romania’s Prosecutor General and Chief Prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Agency (DNA), currently held by Gabriela Scutea and Crin Bolog, respectively, for three-year terms. one-year term with the possibility of repeated application. The selection process will be completed on February 27, 2023.

The Ministry of Justice announced the opening of the procedure only for the heads of the General Prosecutor’s Office and the DNA, not for DIICOT, which is now temporarily headed by Prosecutor Oana Patsu.

After organizing the selection, Minister of Justice Katalin Predoyu will send proposals to the High Council of Magistracy, which must give an advisory opinion, and the decision on the appointment must be made by President Klaus Iohannis.

• Both Attorney General Gabriela Scutea and DNA Chairman Krin Bologa were appointed in 2020 for a 3-year term that ends in February and are eligible to run again.
• Also in 2020, she was appointed to head DIICOT and Georgiana Hosa, also for a 3-year term, but resigned in September 2020 when her husband, Dan Hosa, was sentenced to a 3-year suspended sentence. She was appointed chief prosecutor of DIICOT in March by a decree signed by Klaus Iohannis, despite the negative opinion of the CSM. The position remained vacant in October 2019 after Felix Benile resigned at the request of Klaus Iohannis following the Caracal case.
• Klaus Iohannis ignored the CSM’s negative opinion on the appointment of Gabriela Scutea as Attorney General.

The selection procedure was initiated by the Ministry of Justice

In a press release published on Tuesday, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announces that it is organizing a selection of prosecutors between 27.12.2022 and 27.02.2023 to submit nomination proposals to the President of Romania for the following positions. vacant management positions in the prosecutor’s office:

• Prosecutor General of the Prosecutor’s Office at the High Court of Cassation and Justice (PÎCCJ), vacant position from 21.02.2023;
• chief prosecutor of the National Anti-corruption Administration (DNA), vacant position from 21.02.2023.

According to the Ministry of Justice, prosecutors can submit registration applications, which must contain an indication of the management position for which the candidacy is being submitted, until 02/06/2023 at 12:00 p.m. to the Office of Human Resources of the Ministry of Justice in Bucharest, Apolodor. street number 17, sector 5.

Calendar and terms of participation in the selection

The selection takes place under the conditions provided for in Art. 144 – Article 147 of Law No. 303/2022 on the status of judges and prosecutors, the Ministry of Justice reported. So:

1. Prosecutors who have at least 15 years of experience as a prosecutor or judge may be appointed to executive positions subject to selection.

2. Prosecutors who were part of the intelligence services or cooperated with them, or persons who have a personal interest that affects or could affect the objective and impartial performance of duties cannot be appointed to managerial positions that are the subject of selection. of the the procedure prescribed by law.

3. The following documents are attached to applications for participation in the selection of prosecutors that meet the requirements stipulated by the legislation:

• a) a project regarding the performance of specific duties of the management position for which he participates in the selection;
• b) Prosecutors who are candidates are required to give a statement under their own responsibility that they were not part of the intelligence services and did not cooperate with them, and a statement that they have no personal interest that affects or may affect the objective and impartial performance of powers provided for by law; The National Council for the Study of Security Archives and the Supreme Council of National Defense shall, within no more than 15 days after the request of the Ministry of Justice, verify and report whether the prosecutor was part of or cooperated with the intelligence services;
• c) confirmation of compliance with the seniority requirements provided for by law;
• d) autobiography of the prosecutor;
• e) the number of at least 10 documents drawn up by the prosecutor in the divisions in which he carried out his activities over the past 5 years;
• f) the last report on the evaluation of the professional activity of the prosecutor participating in the selection;
• g) any other relevant documents.

After checking the selection participants for compliance with the conditions stipulated by the law, the list of participating prosecutors who meet the conditions and the schedule of interviews will be published on the website of the Ministry of Justice by February 10, 2023.

Between 20.02.2023 and 23.02.2023, prosecutors participating in the selection will be interviewed before the Minister of Justice and the interview commission at the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice in Bucharest, which consists of:

• 1. support of the project regarding the performance of the specific duties of the management position for which it applies;
• 2. checking the candidate’s management and communication skills;
• 3. assessment of aspects related to how the candidate relates to the values ​​of the profession and the position he is applying for.

The results of the selection will be published on the website of the Ministry of Justice on February 27, 2022.

The reasoned proposals of the Minister of Justice will be forwarded to the Prosecutors’ Section of the KMP on the same day for the provision of a reasoned advisory opinion, the Ministry of Justice also said in a statement.