Prime Minister Victor Ponta sent a letter to the diplomatic representatives of the USA, the European Commission and all EU Member States, showing that President Traian Basescu has committed a serious act against judicial independence by his statements yesterday when he threatened a judge, a member of SCM using derogatory words and harsh criticism.
The full content of the letter signed by Victor Ponta:
"To the diplomatic representatives of the USA, the European Commission and all the Member States of the European Union:
I am addressing this letter to you aiming to emphasize the gravity of the attack President Traian Basescu committed against the independence of the judiciary yesterday, and I am publicly calling on you to intervene in support of the Superior Council of Magistracy directly targeted by the official statements the head state made yesterday.
In an absolutely surprising manner, yesterday, Traian Basescu held a press conference in which he made threats against a judge, a member of SCM, using derogatory words and criticizing in very harsh terms the work of magistrates who, by law, have to ensure the administration of justice.
It is an act of extreme gravity, which jeopardizes the course of justice over the recent period and that calls into question its independence. The Superior Council of Magistracy had requested previously the verification of the information disseminated to the public by the President on a major case file ( the Microsoft case).
Among yesterday's statements by the President, I would like to mention the following:
"It seems that there are magistrates who are keen on doing politics and ended up doing it worse than the politicians. I understand that a gentleman magistrate found that I affected the course of justice because I allegedly provided data from the case file. The Magistrate is lying!
If there is a magistrate in the SCM who wants to do politics he should join politics in an honest manner and leave the quality of magistrate. Such deceitful attitudes to nothing but discredit the institution.
I could not get over this incident which I consider undesirable and I have a request to make : if there are members of the SCM, judges, prosecutors who want to do politics, they should enter politics. "
I am asking you, taking into account all these things, to analyze these statements and to send a public message to support the SCM independence and Justice in general. The Superior Council of Magistracy is the institution designed by the Constitution to ensure proper administration of justice, and such unprecedented attacks surely jeopardize the justice independence and effectiveness " Victor Ponta wrote in the in the letter sent to the US Embassy, the European Commission and EU Member States' embassies.
Traian Basescu launched an unprecedented attack against the magistrates, after they decided to investigate his affirmations regarding the Microsoft case file. Basescu red with anger, says that he collected the data and has this information from other sources. The president also called the head of SCM to blame him for sending the Judicial Inspection to investigate him.