Supreme Council of Magistrates says it is not entitled to examine Muruianu's challenge

It is not within the competence of the Supreme Council of Magistrates to examine the challenge of the Supreme Court of Justice president Ion Muruianu, the Council's president Dumitru Visterniceanu said on March 4, Info-Prim Neo reports. Ion Muruianu asked the Supreme Council of Magistrates to rule whether the Parliament's intention to dismiss him is political interference in the work of the judiciary or a violation of the principle of separation of powers in the state. The Supreme Council of Magistrates recommended Minister of Justice Alexandru Tanase to appeal to the Constitutional Court and ask it to pronounce on the issue. "The Minister of Justice is the only member of the Supreme Council of Magistrates who has the right to appeal to the Constitutional Court. As Minister of Justice, I will file an application to the Constitutional Court and ask it to interpret the articles of the Constitution that stirred up debates,” Alexandru Tanase said. "The dismissal of a functionary is not necessarily disciplinary punishment. A person can be also dismissed because the people do not trust them anymore,” the minster said. At the beginning of Thursday's sitting of the Parliament, Speaker Mihai Ghimpu proposed postponing examining the 'Muruianu case'. After the Alliance for European Integration held a closed-door meeting for about two hours, Ghimpu announced he decided to withdraw his proposal so that Muruianu's dismissal remained in the agenda. Ion Muruianu started to be questioned at the February 26 meeting of the Parliament. As the quorum was not present, the legislative body could not take a decision.