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 |
| 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 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 General Prosecutor 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 General Prosecutor's office for the entire duration of its term. [1]
Kövesi was described byThe 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] She enjoys support both in Romania and across the EU, [2] with a recent poll suggesting that 60% of Romanian trust DNA, with only 11% expressing their trust in parliament. [2]
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 took his surname even after their divorce in 2007. She also can speak a little Hungarian.
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, focusing on fighting organised crime and terrorism.
DNA leadership
Under Kövesi's leadership, DNA made notable progress against high-level corruption in Romania, [3] [2] having successfully prosecuted dozens of mayors, 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 have been 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]
Critiques
Victor Ponta, former prime minister of Romania and the biggest target currently under DNA investigation, 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 multiple forgery, money laundering and tax evasion DNA allegations leveled against him. [2]
See also
References
- ↑ Lucia Efrim (1 October 2012), "Codruţa Kovesi - singurul procuror general al României care-şi duce mandatul până la capăt", Mediafax, retrieved 6 November 2015
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Bringing in the scalps: the woman leading Romania's war on corruption", Theguardian.com, retrieved 6 November 2015
- ↑ "Romania anti-sleaze drive reaches elite - BBC News", Bbc.com, retrieved 6 November 2015
External links
- (Romanian) Kövesi's CV at DNA