Press release

Fighting Corruption Needs Transparency

Transparency International Romania appreciates that the designation of a chief prosecutor as head of the National Anticorruption Directorate ought to be done in utmost transparent circumstances, with regard both to the analysis of the activity of the Directorate to date, and to the nomination criteria.

Transparency International Romania considers as natural that the criteria and the profile taken into account for the nomination of the chief prosecutor head of the National Anticorruption Directorate, as well as the personal and managerial objectives for the position, are made public.

We also consider that the deficiency of transparency in conducting an analysis of the activity of the National Anticorruption Directorate, funded on quantifiable criteria and elements deems any such assessment as prone to predetermined conclusions with regard to the efficiency of the activity of the institution.

Thus, Transparency International Romania requests that the criteria on which the evaluation of the activity of the Directorate is based on, both for the preceding 6 months of interim leadership, and for the previous three year mandate which expired on 12th August 2008, as well as the indicators the Minister of Justice considers in order to assess the efficiency of the steps taken by the institution, are made public, in such manner as to indicate if the tasks and mission of the National Anticorruption Directorate have been accomplished.

Transparency International Romania appreciates that only in circumstances of maximum integrity and transparency can the National Anticorruption Directorate accomplish their institutional mission of fighting corruption.

We would also like to remind that Transparency International Romania has requested in a number of occasions that the Superior Council of Magistracy and the Ministry of Justice develop a national model for the assessment of the managerial activity within the courts of justice and the prosecutorial offices attached to those, after previously discussing it with all the stakeholders. Such a transparent, predictable, and comprehensive analysis system would have been the means to avoid the politicised debate regarding the nominations within the Public Ministry.

Contact person:
Victor Alistar – Executive Director, TI Romania
(victor@transparency.org.ro).