The Supreme Magistracy Council’s (CSM) Section for Prosecutors approved on Wednesday the resignation of DNA Ploiesti Chief Prosecutor Lucian Onea. Onea will continue his activity as prosecutor within DNA Ploiesti.
“The Supreme Magistracy Council’s Section for Prosecutors has decided to dismiss Mr ONEA LUCIAN GABRIEL from the office of Chief Prosecutor of the Ploiesti Branch of the National Anticorruption Directorate, through resignation, starting on 23.05.2018, and that he should continue his activity on an operating position within the same branch, starting on the same date,” the CSM’s announcement reads.
DNA Ploiesti Chief Prosecutor Lucian Onea resigned “so as not to affect the credibility and prestige of the institution,” after he was heard at the Prosecutor General’s Office in relation to the accusations levelled against him by former House lawmaker Vlad Cosma (PSD), the National Anticorruption Directorate informs.
“Lucian Onea, the Chief Prosecutor of the Ploiesti branch, has transmitted to the institution’s leadership a request to release him from the leadership office he holds, considering the situation generated by the probe that has started against him, so as not to affect the credibility and prestige of the institution and not to create a vulnerability at the level of the Ploiesti territorial branch. In the request, he deems that the accusation levelled against him – namely of improper involvement in complicity to the offence of misleading the judicial authorities in the dossier that is on the dockets of the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice – is completely groundless and has no correspondent in reality,” the DNA informed on Tuesday evening.
Lucian Onea was heard on Tuesday at the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Supreme Court, after former House lawmaker Vlad Cosma (PSD) accused him of forging evidence in the dossier in which the names of ex-Premier Victor Ponta and former House lawmaker Sebastian Ghita (PSD) also appear.
Cosma claimed that the DNA Ploiesti Chief Prosecutor, along with ex-prosecutor Mircea Negulescu, compelled him to file falsified lists containing the identification data of voters from the Republic of Moldova.
Prosecutor Lucian Onea (44) became Chief of DNA Ploiesti in 2012 and was reconfirmed in office in 2015.
Onea became prosecutor in 1999 and has been working within the DNA since 2010. Prior to that, he led the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Moreni Court, in Prahova County, and also worked at the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Campina Court.
While Onea was at the helm of DNA Ploiesti, the DNA branch handled some of the most important DNA cases, involving the names of Victor Ponta, Vasile Blaga, Sebastian Ghita, Vlad and Mircea Cosma.
Vlad Cosma’s warning after Onea and Negulescu are placed under criminal probe: Pressure is being put on prosecutor handling the case
Ex-lawmaker Vlad Cosma made several statements on Wednesday, after Lucian Onea and Mircea Negulescu were placed under criminal probe. Vlad Cosma pointed out that what is happening now shows that he told the truth.
“What I said has been confirmed stage by stage. We see that the Prosecutor General’s Office has started the criminal probe, a very serious thing. Everything I presented is the truth. These prosecutors tried to imprison innocent people, they fabricated evidence, tortured dozens of people,” Cosma said.
According to Vlad Cosma, many people have become courageous now and have notified the prosecutor’s office about serious offences.
“I don’t have a list of the persons heard, but very many are being heard in connection to these illegal methods and methods of torture. These things will probably be made public,” he added.
“I have information that Mr Negulescu has visited his protectors in Bucharest and has threatened to take down with him other influential persons if a criminal investigation starts against him. Pressure is being put on the prosecutor handling the case. Someone doesn’t want Negulescu and Lucian Onea to talk. They tried to cover up their tracks, they continue to meet, they have a joint defence strategy at the prosecutor’s office,” Cosma pointed out.
“Their methods of making threats continue today too. I was told that unless I withdraw my complaints I may have penal surprises from some of Mr Onea’s colleagues,” he added.
QMagazine: Mircea Negulescu has denounced Laura Kovesi at the Prosecutor General’s Office. Prosecutor intervenes and denies.
Prosecutor Mircea Negulescu has lodged with the Prosecutor General’s Office a denunciation against DNA Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi, QMagazine writes.
QMagazine cites sources from the Prosecutor General’s Office, according to whom prosecutor Mircea Negulescu, investigated in a dossier, has become a protected witness and has written a 50-page denunciation against DNA Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi.
In his denunciation, Negulescu has allegedly offered details about Laura Kovesi’s alleged interventions in the dossiers he handled.
At the end of April, the National Anticorruption Directorate asked the Supreme Court to reopen a case that concerns suspended prosecutor Mircea Negulescu. On May 9, the Supreme Court decided that, “based on Article 335, Section 4, of the Criminal Procedure Code, it approves the reopening of the criminal prosecution ordered via Ordinance no.81/II-2/2018/16.04.2018 issued by the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice – the National Anticorruption Directorate – Anticorruption Section.”
“Regarding the piece of news according to which I’m allegedly a protected witness in a dossier opened against Ms Kovesi, I point out that this piece of news is completely false, its role being to misinform and to fuel a negative current of opinion toward the former and current representatives of the DNA. This news deliberately misleads, attempting to create appearances the likes of those already speculated, and to create absolutely imaginary criminal prosecution hypotheses, deprived of any real and authentic basis in reality. I stress the fact that I do not know and do not hold compromising information about any person from the leadership of the DNA,” Mircea Negulescu pointed out, being quoted by stiripesurse.ro.
JusMin Tudorel Toader demands protection for prosecutor probing Lucian Onea
Justice Minister Tudorel Toader is demanding protection for Elena Iordache, the prosecutor who started the criminal probe against former DNA Ploiesti Chief Prosecutor Lucian Onea.
“I was saying that all the joints of the judicial system are creaking and it must be reset. Looking back, we see that that statement has become even more current and obvious. We find ourselves in a moment in which truth is starting to surface, the judiciary is starting to normalise itself. I hold many pieces of information regarding the way the investigation is being handled by prosecutor Elena Iordache, they appeared in the public space too and it’s very good, Romanians must know what the face of justice is. In this context, I have asked the CSM to notify the Judicial Inspection in order for it to verify potential actions liable to infringe upon the independence of prosecutor Elena Iordache,” Tudorel Toader told Antena3.
