“The track record of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in investigating and prosecuting high-level corruption cases including against current or former Members of Parliament or Government, has remained convincing and an increase in the number of convictions could be observed,” reads the report.
The report states in a footnote that, since July 2010, anticorruption prosecutors have opened 269 new cases and filed 159 indictments against 611 defendants. DNA data show that over the past 5 years over 90% of its indictments have lead to convictions and that 90% of all investigations last for a maximum of one year and a half.
“However, the results by courts continue to show a mixed picture,” notes the EC.
The Commission said that “although the majority of high-level corruption trials are decided within a period of three years, a significant number of important cases involving dignitaries are currently pending before courts for more than three years.”
According to the EC, a number of these cases have already reached the statute of limitations period in full or in part and several other cases approach these deadlines.
“Since the Commission’s last annual assessment, Romania identified typical causes of delays in high-level corruption cases and created a joint working group to address them. Some important procedural obstacles have been removed since last July,” reads the report.