May 30 (SeeNews) - Romania's Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that president Klaus Iohannis must sack the chief of anti-corruption directorate DNA, Laura Codruta Kovesi.
"Romania's president will have to sign a decree on the dismissal of the chief prosecutor of the DNA, Mrs. Kovesi," the court said a press release announcing its final decision.
The court also ruled that the president's refusal to sack Kovesi as the government demanded has created a constitutional and inter-institutional conflict.
Iohannis rejected the proposal of justice minister Tudorel Toader to dismiss Kovesi last month. In response, the Romanian government took the case to the Constitutional Court.
Iohannis has the final say on Toader's demand. According to the law, the president had to wait for the consultative decision of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM), which rejected Toader's proposal to dismiss Kovesi following her public hearing at CSM.
Toader said in February that he was seeking the ouster of Kovesi, because she had allegedly damaged the image of the country 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 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.
In February, Kovesi said that DNA had blocked 198 million euro ($242 million) worth of assets under its precautionary measures against corruption in 2017. In 2016, the institution blocked assets worth 667 million euro under precautionary measures.
"2017 was a tough year in the fight against corruption. The very fight against corruption has been questioned," Kovesi said at the time during the presentation of DNA's 2017 annual report.
(1 euro=4.6399 lei)