Hearings of the Judges of the Central Court of Appeal continue

This week, the Judicial Vetting Commission conducted hearings for 12 out of the 18 judges of the Central Court of Appeal who are subject to external evaluation. In recent days, Judges Olga Cojocaru, Ion Bulhac, Denis Băbălău, Silvia Cecan, Alexandru Spoială, Marina Anton, Oxana Robu, and Ala Malîi have been heard. Today, Judges Victoria Sîrbu, Marcel Jugănari, Igor Chiroșca, and Angela Braga responded to questions from the Evaluation Commission members.

The hearings were conducted by two panels: Panel B, chaired by Scott Bales, President of the Commission and chairperson of the panel, alongside Willem Brouwer (international member) and Iurie Gațcan (national member), and Panel A, coordinated by the Vice President of the Commission and chairperson of the panel Andrei Bivol, together with Lavly Perling (international member) and Lilian Enciu (national member). The cases were randomly assigned to the two panels, which were specifically established to evaluate judges of the Courts of Appeal, as well as other subjects, in accordance with Law No. 252/2023 on the external evaluation of judges and prosecutors.

During the hearings, judges were asked questions regarding concerns identified through the Commission’s data collection and analysis, in relation to the integrity criteria set out in Law 252/2023. Some aspects were discussed in partially closed sessions to protect private information. The main topics addressed included:

* Financial integrity, particularly discrepancies between income and expenses;

* Compliance with asset and personal interest declaration requirements;

* Participation in cases that led to findings of violations of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The hearing recordings will be available within three days on the official website of the Commission, www.vettingmd.eu, and on the Comisia de Evaluare a Judecătorilor - YouTube YouTube channel, except for sections declared closed.

Following the hearings, the panels will issue detailed reports on each case, outlining relevant facts, reasons for the decision, and conclusions regarding the judge’s compliance with ethical and financial integrity standards. The evaluation results will be published, and the report will be forwarded to the Superior Council of Magistracy.

Hearings continue next week

At the beginning of next week, hearings are scheduled for Judges Ruxanda Pulbere, Dorin Dulghieru, Ana Panov, Angela Bostan, Grigore Dașchevici, and Mihail Diaconu (who has not yet confirmed attendance). Judge Ala Malîi has also been invited for a repeat hearing before the full Commission, as the initial panel did not reach a consensus during the first hearing. As of now, she has not confirmed her participation in the second hearing. (The preliminary schedule for the first two days of hearings is attached.)

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