Romania's president Nicușor Dan has pledged to tackle the judiciary's weak performance once the issue of magistrates' pensions is resolved, G4media.ro reported. The statement has sparked debate over whether the president is delaying necessary reforms by separating the judiciary's privileges from broader questions of performance and accountability.
President Dan criticised recent acquittals of senior officials by the High Court of Cassation and Justice, led by Chief Justice Lia Savonea, calling them "a very bad signal for society." He added that the justice system's credibility was being undermined by a pattern of decisions that appeared lenient towards high-level corruption cases.
When asked why he had not yet attended any sessions of the Supreme Council of Magistracy (CSM), president Dan said he preferred to wait until the pension dispute concluded before initiating "the real discussion" about judicial reform.
"Why don't we investigate magistrates anymore, for example? Statistically, it cannot happen that an entire professional category does not have any problems," Dan told a G4media.ro journalist. "How does the Judicial Inspection work, if it doesn't give different solutions to similar cases? How are promotions made in the justice system? I can't wait to discuss with the Supreme Judicial Council."
The president's comments come amid growing public criticism of the judiciary's handling of corruption cases and a political standoff over the generous pension system for magistrates. Critics argue that postponing discussions on institutional performance until after the pension issue is settled risks perpetuating systemic weaknesses within Romania's judicial framework.