The Superior Council of Prosecutors said it never planned to assemble today, as announced earlier by Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Năstase. The prosecutors’ governing body, which is part of the judiciary, issued a press statement to declare that no representative of the legislative or executive has the authority to convoke it.

Promoting the idea that such a request would have any legitimacy, suggest SCP, would undermine the principle of separation of powers and “could be considered as an attempt to put pressure on the Superior Council of Prosecutors.”

“Given that Mr. Andrei Năstase gave up his seat in Parliament and therefore is no longer a member of the relevant standing commission, convening a meeting in such a format is also no longer an option,” added SCP in its press statement, which was also sent to public authorities, civil society, and foreign embassies. 

Andrei Năstase posted to Facebook on Monday that last he requested SCP to assemble in order to discuss the activity of the Prosecutor General’s Office as a whole and of PG Eduard Harunjen in particular. According to him, the meeting was scheduled for Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. Năstase also said he formally requested the designation of a prosecutor or team of prosecutors to investigate the allegations that Harunjen had participated in “usurpation of state power, abuse of office, obstruction of justice, and passive corruption.”