Laura Codruța Kövesi

Laura Codruța Kövesi
Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate
Assumed office
17 May 2013
President Traian Băsescu
Klaus Iohannis
Prime Minister Victor Ponta
Dacian Cioloș
Prosecutor General of Romania
In office
2 October 2006  2 October 2012
President Traian Băsescu
Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu
Emil Boc
Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu
Victor Ponta
Preceded by Ilie Botoș
Succeeded by Tiberiu Nițu
Personal details
Born Laura Codruța Lascu
(1973-05-15) May 15, 1973
Sfântu Gheorghe, Covasna County, Romania
Nationality Romanian
Spouse(s) Eduard Kövesi (m. 2002–07)
Children None
Parents Ioan Lascu (father)
Residence Bucharest
Alma mater Babeș-Bolyai University
Religion Romanian Orthodox

Laura Codruța Kövesi (born Laura Codruța Lascu on May 15, 1973) is the current chief prosecutor of Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate (Romanian: Direcţia Naţională Anticorupţie) (DNA), a position she has held since 2013. Prior to this, Kövesi was the Prosecutor General of Romania (Procuror General), attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice.

Upon appointment in 2006, Kövesi was the first woman and the youngest Prosecutor General in Romania's history. She is also the only public servant to have held the office of Prosecutor General for the entire duration of its term.[1]

Kövesi was described by The Guardian in 2015 as a "quiet, unassuming chief prosecutor who is bringing in the scalps", leading "an anti-corruption drive quite unlike any other in eastern Europe – or the world for that matter".[2] Her tenure as head of the DNA has substantially increased public confidence in the institution, both within Romania and across the EU, with a 2015 poll reporting that a high 60% of Romanians trust the DNA (compared to 61% for the Romanian Orthodox Church and only 11% for parliament).[2][3] In February 2016, Kövesi was renominated for chief prosecutor by the Ministry of Justice, based on the positive results achieved under her leadership.[4][5]

Biography

Born in Sfântu Gheorghe, Kövesi played professional basketball in her youth, at the club in Mediaș and in Sibiu, and was selected for the junior players national team which finished second in the 1989 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship for Women. Codruța Lascu married Eduárd Kövesi, an ethnic Hungarian, and kept his surname even after their divorce in 2007. She can speak some English and Hungarian.[6]

Before her position as Prosecutor General, Kövesi was the head of the Department of Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism Offences (DIICOT) branch in Sibiu County.

DNA leadership

Under Kövesi's leadership, the DNA has made notable progress against high-level corruption in Romania,[7][2] having successfully prosecuted dozens of mayors (such as Sorin Oprescu), five MPs, two ex-ministers and a former prime minister in 2014 alone. Hundreds of former judges and prosecutors have also been brought to justice, with a conviction rate above 90%.[2] In 2015, 12 members of parliament were investigated, including ministers: “we have investigated two sitting ministers, one of whom went from his ministerial chair directly to pre-trial detention”, Kövesi said.[2]

Criticism

Victor Ponta, former prime minister of Romania and the highest-ranking government official currently under DNA investigation and prosecution, accused Kövesi of being "a totally unprofessional prosecutor trying to make a name by inventing and imagining facts and untrue situations from 10 years ago”. These comments were posted on his Facebook page, following his indictment on charges of forgery, money laundering, and tax evasion, brought against him by the DNA.[2]

See also

References

External links

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