The General Prosecutor's Office's Review

Hybrid attacks on Romania, disinformation campaigns and poor recovery of damages from major corruption cases are among the vulnerabilities listed today in the General Prosecutor's Office's review by the head of the institution, Prosecutor Alex Florenta, but also by the Minister of Justice, Radu Marinescu.

The functional consolidation of the Public Ministry, the capacity for rapid adaptation, the internal reorganization of the Prosecutor's Offices and the best professional staff are the achievements listed by Prosecutor General Alex Florenta at the end of his mandate.

He also pointed out the external pressure to which prosecutors are subjected due to the growing hybrid phenomenon.

"In the last two years, Romania has been exposed to increasingly sophisticated forms of hybrid attack: disinformation campaigns, coordinated manipulation in the online environment, attempts to undermine trust in the fundamental institutions of the state. However, these techniques are not accidental. They exploit real or perceived vulnerabilities, speculate on latent social discontent and amplify collective emotions to generate polarization and distrust", said Alex Florenta.

Justice Minister Radu Marinescu recalled the severe lack of personnel, 700 vacant prosecutor positions, prosecutorial units with a single prosecutor.

The dignitary stated that the recovery of damages, 365 million from evasion last year alone and economic and financial crime have become central axes for the work of prosecutors.

"Economic and organized crime are supported by financial resources. If the state applies sanctions but does not recover the damage, the intervention remains partial and, unfortunately, limited, allowing criminal groups to continue operating", said Radu Marinescu.

Alex Florenta is no longer running for a new term as prosecutor general, but he was nominated by the minister of justice for the position of deputy head of DIICOT.

The leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office could be taken over by the current head of the Iasi DNA, Cristina Chiriac, if President Nicusor Dan accepts this nomination.

Translated by: Radu Matei