Several thousand people participated in a protest against corruption in the judiciary in the square in front of the Romanian government headquarters, Agerpres reported.
The protesters demanded an end to bribery in the judiciary and the resignation of the president of the High Court of Cassation, the minister of justice, the minister of interior and the chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate.
Protests have been taking place in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca for three days now, and on December 12 they were also held in Brasov, Timisoara and Iasi.
The protests were sparked by the documentary film “Captive Justice“, produced by Romanian journalists specializing in corruption investigations. In it, a number of judges and prosecutors claim that the entire judicial system in the country is controlled by individuals in key positions, that major corruption cases in Romania are being covered up, and that existing criminal cases are being unreasonably terminated due to statute of limitations. The film was first shown on YouTube on December 9, and then on national television on December 10.
The heads of the highest judicial instances have rejected the accusations, stating that the facts presented in the film are not true. However, many judges and prosecutors have confirmed that abuses in the justice system occur regularly. However, a number of journalists took a cautious stance, suggesting that what was happening was a clash between two groups of judges and prosecutors, as well as the politicians behind them.
The Supreme Council of Magistracy (the body that oversees the professional activities of judges and prosecutors) announced that the Judicial Inspectorate had been tasked with conducting an investigation into the facts presented in the film, and President Nikushor Dan invited judges and prosecutors to a meeting on December 22 to discuss problems in the national justice system.