BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s justice minister on Thursday called for the country’s chief anti-corruption prosecutor to be removed from her post, citing what he said were serious concerns about the way she conducted her job. Laura Codruta Kovesi, the chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), said she will “follow the legal procedure and be present, whenever needed, to answer, point by point, to all statements presented by the justice minister.”

Kovesi is reacting to requests for a point of view after the justice minister, Tudorel Toader, announced he started the procedure to revoke her from her post. “Due to the lack of clarity in presenting the report on DNA’s management and considering that the evaluation of DNA’s activity and management by Romania’s President differs from the one presented by the justice minister, a thorough analysis of this document is needed, which will be made by the specialized department within the Presidential Administration,” reads the Presidency’s statement.
Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader announces that he would trigger the dismissal procedures of the Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruța Kövesi. The announcement sparks protests.