More resignations from the judicial system could be tendered in the near future. This could happen because the myth about the intangibility of judges was destroyed with the arrest of the five judges by the National Anticorruption Center. The opinions were stated in the talk show “Expertise hour” on Jurnal TV channel, IPN reports.
Ex-judge Domnica Manole said the leaving by the seven judges (five judges of the Supreme Court of Justice and two from districts) should be analyzed in the context of the image crisis experienced now by the judiciary system. One of the reasons for the leaving could be the fact that by the bill on the unitary salary system, the judges can be deprived of a part of the salary and the one-time allowance paid when reaching retirement.
The former judge said more judges could yet leave the system in the near future. “These judges who were loyal to the system of the ruling party understood that the situation changes and they can be held criminally, disciplinarily and civilly accountable. The fear of what is going on in the judicial system and the fear of the illegal decisions passed by some made these judges tender their resignations and I’m sure that more applications will follow in the near future,” stated Domnica Manole.
Ion Guzun, legal adviser at the Legal Resources Center, said three more judges of the Supreme Court of Justice left the system earlier this year. After the five judges left recently, the Supreme Court of Justice now has 21 judges and this will affect the process of examining cases. The judges could have resigned also owing to the possible exclusion of the one-time allowance provided when reaching retirement.
A number of judges of the Supreme Court of Justice submitted their resignations to the Superior Council of Magistracy. In its November 6 meeting, the Council accepted the resignations and the decisions are to be issued to Parliament.
