As of January 1, 2017, the prosecutors are obliged to wear robes during hearings, but not all the public prosecuting attorneys obey this norm and not all have the mandatory dress. Currently, about 50 robes are being sewed, but these represent about 10% of the necessities. The administration of the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) assured that all the prosecutors will be provided with robes by the middle of December.
Deputy prosecutor general Mircea Rosioru, who heads the Superior Council of Prosecutors, has told IPN that 520 robes have been made so far this year and over 700,000 lei was allocated from the budget of the PGO for the purpose. Of the 720 posts of prosecutor, over 30 are now vacant. Another 45 prosecutors were suspended from posts for different reasons, while about 60 prosecutors who work at the PGO deal with policies and do not need robes because they do not go to hearings. Thus, the 50 robes that are being made now will satisfy the necessities and all the prosecutors will have the required clothing by the middle of December.
Mircea Rosioru said the sewing of robes lasts because the regulations on the model and distinctive signs of the clothing of prospectors were approved with delay, on December 22, 2016, which is one week before the coming into force of the relevant legal provisions. Also, the prosecutors could not attend hearings in robes as of January 1, 2017 for the reason that the procurement process is long-lasting. But almost 90% of prosecutors have been provided with robes since May.
The robe of prosecutors, unlike the robe of judges and lawyers in ordinary courts of law that is black, is flat navy blue. The prosecutors wear the insignia of the PGO at chest. A robe costs 1,400 lei. The dress is provided to prosecutors free and is used for five years.
