Member of the Superior Council of Prosecutors (SCP) Olesea Vîrlan has resigned from her position. The decision comes after Vîrlan said that there were “some mistakes” in the evaluation sheet she drew up in the competition for the position of prosecutor general for interim prosecutor general Ion Munteanu.

Olesea Vîrlan sent a request on Monday 4 March informing the SCP that she was resigning from the Council. The members of the SCP took note of the decision at their meeting on Monday 4 March.

SCP President Dumitru Obadă said he “appreciates this decision”, which he sees as “a proof of responsibility, maturity and assumption”.

Dumitru Obadă had previously said that he expected Olesea Vîrlan to announce her resignation.

Asked during a TV8 programme whether he would “recommend Vîrlan to resign”, Obadă replied “of course”, saying “or he will resign”.

“My call is for dignity and taking the decisions taken, and my message is also to my colleague. However, I believe in assumption, responsibility and maturity (…). I cannot allow myself to continue in the manner in which this whole procedure is being conducted today”, said the President of the CSP.

He explained that after the interviews, which took place on 22 February, the rest of the SCP members did not know whether the score given by Vîrlan was properly motivated.

“After 11 hours of work, we did not make this analysis, neither I nor any other member saw each of them what marks they gave. Each member communicated to the media,” Obadă recounted.

The SCP president was also asked if he had any suspicions when he found out the low score given by Vîrlan to Munteanu. Obadă said that “of course it aroused his suspicions”, but said that the sheets were sealed immediately after the scores were awarded, without being analysed.

“I didn’t see any plausible reasons justifying the application of this score, which aroused not just puzzlement, but for me – shock. I wanted very much to have a final and fair competition. With this risk, there was the choice: either you accept this mathematical reality and go ahead, which for me as a SCP member is unacceptable – you can’t appoint a person at any cost. The price is legality, transparency and equal treatment (…) I would not assume such a reality, the mathematics must have argumentative backing,” the prosecutor added.

The SCP published a press release on Thursday, 29 February, with the position of member Olesea Vîrlan, who gave a score of 3.5/10 to interim Prosecutor General Ion Munteanu, a candidate in the competition for the full position, which led to the cancellation of the competition.

Vîrlan said she was “not happy that some mistakes crept into her evaluation”.

“In connection with what appeared in the press regarding the evaluation of candidates for the position of Prosecutor General I would like to make the following clarifications.

All possible mistakes are made in any calculation. Any evaluation has a dose of subjectivity. Any legal error can be corrected by legal means.

As a member of the Superior Council of Prosecutors, I am guided by the law and impartiality. I am not happy that certain mistakes have crept into the evaluation carried out by me. This time the items of the evaluation showed a confused content.

I have no personal objections to Mr Ion Muntean’s candidacy, just as I have no personal objections to the other candidatures. If it were not for these errors, Mr Ion Muntean’s assessment would be 8.5. 

That is what I can tell you. That is why I also voted to revoke the decision and end the competition. I plead for constitutional loyalty in the work of the SCP”, said SCP member Olesea Vîrlan.