Romania: Prosecutors won’t be fired due to new work rule

BUCHAREST, Romania – Romania’s top judicial body says a new government ordinance requiring prosecutors in key agencies to have more years of experience won’t apply to prosecutors who have already been hired.

The government passed an emergency decree this week requiring prosecutors at the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and a government unit that fights organized crime to have at least 10 years’ experience.

General Prosecutor Augustin Lazar and others expressed alarm that the ordinance could disqualify dozens of prosecutors at the elite agencies who didn’t have the required years of work experience, disrupting important probes.

Prosecutors at the Superior Council of Magistrates agreed Wednesday that prosecutors already working at the agencies would keep their jobs.

Romania’s justice system is under special European Union monitoring since corruption is a long-standing issue in the country.