SOURCES Who is “warming up” outside the Ministry of Justice. What are the proposals of the parties

The PNL wants to keep the Justice portfolio in the future government with USR PLUS. “Justice, Health and Finance” are non-negotiable portfolios, says one of the vice-presidents of the party for Adevărul. Liberals have three options. The first is the retention of Cătălin Predoiu at the head of the ministry from January. Despite being questioned within the judiciary, Predoiu has strong political support from Prime Minister Ludovic Orban and President Klaus Iohannis. Despite promises, the Orban government did not abolish, by emergency ordinance, the Special Magistrates Section, the PSD’s cannonball against honest prosecutors. Officially, the NLP invokes the May 2019 referendum, when Romanians overwhelmingly voted that the criminal law should not be changed by GEO, in the context in which Liviu Dragnea was trying to escape from prison. Cătălin Predoiu presented a package of proposals to correct the Justice laws mutilated by the PSD, but the measures are in public debate until the end of March 2021.

“The opportunity for Predoiu to rehabilitate himself in front of civil society after a year of controversial mandate is for Parliament to approve the Justice laws in the manner proposed by the ministry,” say sources from the NLP leadership. Therefore, Cătălin Predoiu is negotiating intensively to remain minister.

The second option for the Justice portfolio is Iulia Scântei, current and future NLP senator, who, like Predoiu, is in the graces of the Cotroceni Palace. “There is not much difference between Predoiu and Scântei. They both want peace in the system, not reform. If you look at Iulia Scântei’s CV, you will see that he passed through the National Defense College, the certificate of good conduct offered by the system,” they say. judicial system sources Between 2007 and 2008, Iulia Scântei completed a postgraduate degree in the field of national security and defense at the National Defense College, although her academic specialty is law.

The third option for the PNL is Cristian Băcanu, current secretary of state in the Ministry of Justice, PNL candidate for Mayor of Sector 5 in local elections, defeated by Cristian Popescu Piedone. Cristian Băcanu is a lawyer specialized in litigation. According to his own statements, he entered politics in 2017 after the Government of Grindeanu adopted the controversial GEO 13 dedicated to Liviu Dragnea.

Stelian Ion is unsupported

And USR PLUS would theoretically like the Ministry of Justice, in the context in which the party has grown in recent years with messages in favor of the rule of law. In fact, USR wants to amend the Constitution so that people who have received criminal convictions can no longer hold public office. However, in addition to negotiating with NLP, USR leaders also have to go through the stage of infighting. Stelian Ion would have been the frontrunner for the job of justice minister, but he is not part of Dan Barna’s camp, Adevărul political sources say. Stelian Ion has been one of the most active parliamentarians of the Opposition in the last four years on issues related to Justice, trying to stop the PSD roll in the Iordache Commission as well. USR has no other credible legal leader, so Dan Barna could hand over the portfolio to PNL, in exchange for another compelling ministry, the sources cited say. If NLP surprisingly yields Justice, the portfolio could reach a PLUS leader.

PSD proposes Maya Teodoroiu

PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu spoke, in an interview for “Adevărul”, for the first time. on the appointment of the Social Democrats to the Justice portfolio. When asked who would nominate the PSD for a position where in the past the Social Democrats promoted the likes of Florin Iordache and Tudorel Toader, Marcel Ciolacu responded harshly: “Maya Teodoroiu. He is the first candidate for the Senate. He is a man with an experience that is difficult to match. “Maya Teodoroiu, head of the roster in Prahova, was a judge of the Constitutional Court between February 2015 and June 2019, assuming the remainder of Tony Greblă’s term, after he resigned, after a corruption scandal.In early September 2019, former Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă appointed Maya Teodoroiu as a government agent for the European Court of Human Rights, but she was removed at the end of January by Prime Minister Ludovic Orban’s decision.