A plenary session of the Higher Council of Magistracy is meeting on Tuesday to elect a new leadership – the president and vice president, Agerpres notes. The CSM is currently chaired by Judge Daniel Gredinaru, and the Vice President is Prosecutor Daniel Horodnicanu.

Higher Council of Masters (CSM)Photo: INQUAM Photos / Octav Ganea

Candidates for the position of the head of the CCM must present a management project that contains their vision for managing the powers of the Council and solving personnel issues in the judicial system, as well as current projects.

The SCM consists of 19 members: nine judges and five prosecutors elected by magistrates at the general assembly of courts and prosecutors, two representatives of civil society elected by the Senate, and three legal members – the Minister of Justice, the President of the ICCJ and the Prosecutor General of Romania. The mandate of elected members is six years without the possibility of re-appointment.

According to the Constitution and Law 317/2004 on the CSM, the Council is chaired by a President, assisted by a Vice-President who is part of the various sections, for a one-year non-renewable mandate.

Only nine judges and five prosecutors, elected by the general assembly of courts and prosecutor’s offices, have the right to run for office. Legal members of the CSM and representatives of civil society cannot run for the positions of president and vice president.

The leadership of the SCM is elected by plenum voting, and if the chairman is a judge, the deputy chairman must be a prosecutor and vice versa.

Currently, the High Council of Magistracy is formed by judges Daniel Gredinaru – Supreme Court of Cassation and Justice, Denisa-Angelica Stenishore – Supreme Court of Cassation and Justice, Gheorghe-Liviu Odaghiu – Court of Appeal of Alba Iulia, Elena Raluca Costace – Court of Appeal of Bucharest, Ramona Graciela Milu – Appellate Brasov Court, Michaela-Laura Radu – Bucharest Court, Narcis Erculescu – Dambovitsa Court, Claudiu-Marian Dragušin – Bucharest District 4 Court and Vasile-Alin Ene – Ploiesti Court.

The CSM also includes prosecutors Daniel Horodničana – Prosecutor’s Office at the High Court of Cassation and Justice, Emilia Ion – Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Appeal of Bucharest, Bohdan Silviu Staica – Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Bucharest, Claudiu Constantin Sandu – Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Brasov and Marioara Cătălina Sîntion – the prosecutor’s office next to the 3rd District Court of Bucharest.

Fanel Mihalča and Ioan Sass were elected by the Senate as CSM members from civil society.