Affaire Kövesi. Financial Times così furibondo da pubblicare senza blocchi.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2019-04-02.

Il caso di Mrs Laura Kövesi è, o dovrebbe essere, noto.

Unione Europea. Quella cesta di serpi velenosi vorrebbe colpire ancora.

Bruxelles. Laura Kövesi. Ricordatevi bene questo nome.

«EU states have already endorsed French candidate Bohnert.

For a prosecutor with an uncommon record of putting corrupt politicians behind bars, the former head of Romania’s anti-graft agency is facing one more hurdle than her rivals: the opposition of her own government.

Laura Codruta Kövesi, who was fired by Romania’s ruling Social Democrats after she put dozens of corrupt politicians behind bars, will try to convince European Parliament members in Brussels on Tuesday to support her bid to become the European Union’s first chief prosecutor after the bloc’s governments endorsed a French rival for the job.

Bohnert received almost twice as many votes from member states last week as Kövesi and Ritter did ….»

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Per il posto di capo della procura europea il Consiglio Europeo aveva votato a larga maggioranza il candidato francese Mr Jean-François Bohnert.

La candidata Mrs Laura Codruta Kövesi, trentatreenne, era invisa alla Romania, sua terra nativa: arrivata appena giovinetta a capo della procura rumena, aveva incriminato un largo numero di persone invise alla fazione da lei rappresentata. Si era diportata in modo tale da essere destituita da tale alta carica. Del tutto sequenziale che la Romania non ne volesse sapere di questa candidatura.

Ma Mrs Laura Codruta Kövesi è la candidata in pectore di Mr Juncker, di Mr Tusk e degli ambienti che esprimono codesti uomini politici.

Incuranti del voto emesso dal Consiglio Europeo, Mrs Laura Codruta Kövesi è stata votata da questo europarlamento a fine mandato: con metà aprile dovrebbe infatti cessare i lavori, ed il parlamento che uscirà dalle prossime elezioni dovrebbe essere a composizione ben differente.

«Ms Kovesi is the European Parliament’s preference to lead the EU prosecutor’s office, while EU member states have opted for the French candidate, Jean-François Bohnert. Negotiations between representatives from both sides this week ended in deadlock.»

Il colpo di mano di Mr Juncker e di Mr Tusk ha subito un’inaspettata battuta di arresto. Un europarlamento eletto cinque anni or sono non ha diritto di ignorare la volontà espressa dai capi di stato e di governo attuali, ed anche a larghissima maggioranza.

Romania. Arrestata Laura Kövesi, candidata di Juncker a capo della Procura Europea.

Il tribunale rumeno preposto a giudicare i magistrati ha fatto arrestare Mrs Laura Codruta Kövesi, contestandole pesanti accuse, che vanno dalla corruzione, all’abuso di potere, fino all’alto tradimento. Se comprovate, come peraltro sembrerebbe, si potrebbe arrivare anche all’ergastolo.

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La portata di questi accadimenti è comprovata dal fatto che il Financial Times è uscito con un lungo articolo ad accesso pubblico, fatto inusuale perché di norma gli articoli di questa testata sono accessibili esclusivamente agli abbonati.

Se negli anni passati Mr Juncker e Frau Merkel erano riusciti ad imporre la candidatura Tusk, che nella Polonia sua patria è considerato essere un traditore, questa volta sembrerebbero non essere riusciti in una operazione analoga.

Hanno sicuramente una maggioranza in questo parlamento europeo, ma non è assolutamente detto che la mantengano anche in quello subentrante.

La magistratura ed i tribunali europei sembrerebbero essere destinati a rimanere l’ultima roccaforte liberal socialista, ma l’arresto di Mrs Kövesi evidenzia come ci si possa opporre anche a questa forza.

La risultante è un quadro ingarbugliato e complesso.

Pochi giorni or sono il ppe ha sospeso il Fidesz, il partito di Mr Orban, e lo ha fatto facendo approvare un proclama che sintetizza l’ideologia liberal socialista. Ma così facendo il ppe ha perso i deputati ungheresi, che sarebbero stati quanto mai utili per la supposta elezione di Herr Weber a Presidente della Commissione.

La volontà di offendere e cercar di umiliare gli stati membri sembrerebbe essere tutto tranne che un cementante dell’Unione Europea.

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Financial Times. 2019-03-30. EU warns Romania over clampdown on former anti-corruption chief

Restrictions on Laura Codruta Kovesi could hobble her push to lead Brussels’ anti-graft body.

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The EU has warned Bucharest over a tightening legal clampdown on Laura Codruta Kovesi, the former head of Romania’s anti-corruption agency, that could hobble her chance to lead a new pan-European anti-graft body. The European Commission said on Friday that it was “crucial” all candidates were treated fairly in the race to head the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which has pitted Ms Kovesi against a French rival. The comments came after Romanian authorities placed Ms Kovesi under “judicial control”, which means she is banned from speaking to the media or leaving the country without permission. The government in Bucharest fired her last year, and she has since been under investigation for alleged corruption. “It is crucial that all candidates, put forward by an independent selection panel, are treated fairly in the course of this process,” a European Commission spokesman said of the contest to head the EU prosecutor’s office. “All candidates need to be able to participate in all the steps of the selection procedure unhindered.” The restrictions on Ms Kovesi were announced on Thursday after she was questioned by Romanian prosecutors for almost seven hours. Earlier this month, on the same day that the European Parliament nominated Ms Kovesi to lead the EU prosecutor’s office, Romanian authorities said they were opening a second investigation into her conduct when she was the head of Romania’s anti-corruption agency.

Ms Kovesi, who has denied any wrongdoing, said she would contest the latest moves against her in court. “This is a measure to shut me up . . . a measure to keep harassing all of us in the justice system who have done our jobs,” she told reporters on Thursday. Ms Kovesi’s fate exemplifies the growing internal tensions in the EU over alleged authoritarian creep in some central and eastern European states. Her case is more charged because Bucharest currently holds the EU council’s rotating presidency. The new European prosecutor’s office will be responsible for probing alleged frauds on EU funds, which have been central to Romania’s domestic political battles. Ms Kovesi was removed as the country’s anti-corruption chief last summer after five years in the job, during which she won plaudits at home and abroad for securing high-level convictions. Among those penalised was Liviu Dragnea, leader of the ruling Social Democrats, who was found guilty in 2015 of vote rigging and later of corruption. These convictions prevented him from becoming Romania’s prime minister. A third investigation into Mr Dragnea over alleged fraud is ongoing. He denies any wrongdoing. Ms Kovesi is being investigated in Romania by a new body set up to look into alleged misdeeds by judicial personnel. But critics say it is subject to political influence.

Ms Kovesi is the European Parliament’s preference to lead the EU prosecutor’s office, while EU member states have opted for the French candidate, Jean-François Bohnert. Negotiations between representatives from both sides this week ended in deadlock. Manfred Weber, chairman of the centre-right European People’s party and the group’s candidate to lead the European Commission, said he was “very concerned” about the new legal proceedings against Ms Kovesi. “This is totally unacceptable in Europe and unprecedented for an acting Council presidency of the EU,” he said in a tweet. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, from the opposition Liberal party, said on Thursday that the Social Democrats had “continued the assault against the justice system which started when they took power”.