Prosecutor accused of fabricating criminal case to oust Coast Guard chief
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Corruption in the justice system remains a matter of creative accounting and selective prosecution. A top magistrate reportedly secured a pension higher than their final salary despite a law specifically forbidding it, while prosecutor Teodor Niță faces accusations of inventing a criminal case to remove a Coast Guard official from his post. Meanwhile, an audit alleging millions in fraud at the Ministry of Labor has reportedly been suppressed by leadership who prefer not to involve the authorities.
Political connections continue to yield results for those close to the former prime minister, as an investigation finds companies linked to Marcel Ciolacu's partner have secured a string of state contracts and positions. Elsewhere, the Cernavoda nuclear power plant has a restart date, and ministries are facing the prospect of asset seizures over millions in unpaid debts, a complication of the ongoing political crisis.
The US midterm results are being read in Bucharest as a guide to the future of the presidency, while in Germany, the far-right is dusting off a familiar script. Alice Weidel has begun accusing Romanian migrants of draining the social system, an argument that mirrors the rhetoric of the Brexit campaign.