Romanian courts are ‘closing corruption cases and overturning convictions’ new EC report on rule of law says
The European Commission has singled out lower courts in Romania for repeatedly closing corruption cases and annulling convictions, including in high-profile cases, following rulings by the country’s top courts on the statute of limitations.
The day before the report on the rule of law was published on July 17, the Court of Justice of the EU concluded that Romania’s High Court of Cassation and Justice’s 2022 ruling mentioned in the Commission report report “generated a systemic risk of impunity for fraud.”
Case closures and overturned verdicts stems primarily from the intervention of the statute of limitations, following rulings by the ICCJ and the Constitutional Court (CCR)
It also criticized the ICCJ for scrapping the Bolojan Committee set up by the acting prime minister to review judicial legislation, concluding that Romania had made insufficient progress in fighting corruption in the judicial system.
The report also points out that “Some magistrates continue to feel undue pressure from within the judiciary, and some judges have been recused because they intended to refer the matter to the European courts”.
Responding to the report, Romania’s Prosecutors’ Office said that “pointing out dysfunctionalities should be based on checked facts and objective assessments, rather than generalities.”
The report also said that no legislative steps had been taken yet to strengthen safeguards to ensure the independence of high-ranking prosecutors and for the organization and functioning of the judicial police.
Some magistrates continue to feel undue pressure from inside the judiciary and judges were recused for intending to refer cases to European Courts.”
The results obtained in the prosecution of corruption cases, both small and high-level, remained at the same level as in the previous year. Lower courts continued to close corruption cases and overturn convictions, including in high-level corruption cases, following the High Court of Cassation and Justice’s rulings on the statute of limitations.
Although the volume of outstanding cases has been significantly reduced, no further measures have been taken to ensure the effective investigation and prosecution of corruption offences in the judiciary.
There has been no further progress to ensure the effective investigation and prosecution of corruption offenses in the judiciary, as no measures were taken to address remaining shortcomings. It is recommended to Romania to take measures to ensure effective investigation and prosecution of criminal offences in the judiciary, including as regards corruption offences.
The employment rate of judicial posts increased in 2025 and measures have been taken to remedy the current staff shortage and improve the legal aid system, which remains underfunded.
The digitalization of the judiciary is one of the government’s priorities. The estimated time required to resolve civil, commercial and administrative cases has decreased significantly, while the case resolution rate has improved. The evaluation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy for the period 2021-2025 has been completed, and the next strategy for the period 2026-2030 is being developed.
