An Underdog Prosecutor Faces an Uphill Battle for a Top EU Job

Feb 26 2019, 5:00 AMFeb 26 2019, 5:24 AMFebruary 26 2019, 5:00 AMFebruary 26 2019, 5:24 AM

(Bloomberg) -- 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 Kovesi, 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.

The public session will feature Kovesi and Jean-Francois Bohnert, a Frenchman who won the backing of EU governments on Feb. 20, and Andres Ritter from Germany. Bohnert received almost twice as many votes from member states last week as Kovesi and Ritter did.

“We will not be pressured by the Romanian government into rejecting Ms. Kovesi, but at the same time I don’t think we should turn her nomination into a political statement,” Sophie in ’t Veld, a Dutch member of the EU Parliament’s Liberal group, said by telephone. “We will look at all three candidates objectively.”

A final decision on the appointment requires an agreement between EU governments and the 28-nation assembly. The EU Parliament has criticized Romania’s government for eroding the rule of law and urged more top EU jobs to be filled by women, making Kovesi a potentially useful political weapon as the assembly gears up for elections in late May.

The administration in Bucharest has followed its regional counterparts in Hungary and Poland in pursuing an overhaul of its legal system despite criticism from opposition figures and the EU officials that it’s undermining the rule of law. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said Kovesi isn’t Romania’s proposal for European prosecutor.

“There are many jobs obtained by Romanians without having the support of the government,” said Dancila. “I don’t want to talk about this subject since she’s not our nominee.”

Kovesi become the first high-powered target of a newly formed office established by the government to investigate magistrates of the court. The body has opened a probe into allegations of abuse of office, bribery and false statements. While she denies any wrongdoing, Kovesi said the probe will affect her chances for EU prosecutor job.

“It’s obvious that, through this probe, they’re trying to eliminate me from the process, to prevent me from getting the job, because I think I have a chance,” Kovesi said. “I’m innocent and I’ll try to explain this to the lawmakers. I’ll continue my road. Corruption can be defeated.”