November 21 (SeeNews) - Romania's president Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday refused to appoint Adina Florea as head of the country's anti-corruption agency DNA, saying the law prohibits the appointment in key positions of magistrates who were part of the intelligence services or who might have personal interests influencing their decisions and activity.
For the same reason, Iohannis refused to appoint four other magistrates on Wednesday.
Florea was nominated by justice minister Tudorel Toader in September, following a selection procedure that involved six candidates.
It was the second selection procedure for head of DNA after Toader rejected the four candidates who had applied for the job in the first session.
Florea is a prosecutor at the in the Black Sea port city of Constanta and is currently delegated to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Constanta Appeal Court. Her nomination must be endorsed by the Superior Council of Magistracy and by president Klaus Iohannis, according to the law.
In July, the Romanian Prosecutor’s Office named Anca Jurma as interim head of DNA to succeed Laura Kovesi, who had been dismissed.
In April, Iohannis rejected Toader's proposal to dismiss Kovesi. Toader claimed Kovesi had damaged the country's image abroad. In response, the Romanian government took the case to the Constitutional Court which ruled that the president must dismiss Kovesi.
The ruling coalition of the Social Democrat Party (PSD) and the Liberal-Democrat Alliance (ALDE) threatened to seek the suspension of Iohannis over his refusal to comply with the Constitutional Court decision. Subsequently, Iohannis obeyed the top court's ruling, signing the decree to dismiss Kovesi in July.