May 5 (SeeNews) - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said on Tuesday that Laura Codruta Kovesi had been wrongfully dismissed from her job as head of Romania's anti-corruption agency DNA in July 2018.
"The Court found that there was prima facie evidence of a causal link between the applicant exercising her right to freedom of expression and the termination of her mandate. Other justifications for her removal provided by the Government were not convincing. The termination of her mandate had thus been an interference with her right to freedom of expression," ECHR said in a decision on a complaint lodged by Laura Codruta Kovesi.
The Court added that Kovesi's removal from her position of chief prosecutor at DNA has not pursued any of the legitimate aims and had not been 'necessary in a democratic society'.
In January 2019, Kovesi announced that she has challenged her dismissal at ECHR, saying that this is just a matter of principle and that she is not looking for reinstatement as DNA chief.
Since October 2019, Kovesi is the head of the new European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO).
In July 2019, Romania's president Klaus Iohannis signed a decree to dismiss Kovesi, obeying a ruling by Romania's top court to do so.
At the end of May, Romania's Constitutional Court ruled that president Iohannis must dismiss Laura Codruta Kovesi.The court also ruled that the president's initial refusal to meet the government's demands and sack Kovesi has created a constitutional and inter-institutional conflict.
The request to sack Kovesi was made by former Social Democrat justice minister Tudorel Toader, who claimed Kovesi had allegedly damaged the country's image abroad and accused her of being too authoritarian. As a result, some 6,000 people held rallies in Bucharest and other Romanian cities to protest at the time against the proposed dismissal of the DNA chief.
EU officials and anti-corruption institutions have praised DNA's activity in general and Kovesi's activity in particular on numerous occasions, stressing that her efforts are crucial for the country's fight against corruption.