The interviews for the appointment of the heads of the General Prosecutor’s Office, DNA and DIICOT, which started on Monday, with candidates for the leadership of the Prosecutor’s Office, continue today with candidates for the leadership of the DNA. There are six prosecutors registered for the three management positions in the institution: DNA chief prosecutor and two deputy positions.
- Tatiana Toader, DNA deputy chief prosecutor, Vlad Grigorescu, DIICOT prosecutor, and Ioan-Viorel Cerbu, DNA prosecutor, delegated to the position of deputy chief prosecutor, are running for the post of DNA chief prosecutor. Along with them, the interviews will also be held on Tuesday by the prosecutors who are running for the two positions of deputies at the DNA: Marinela Mincă, Mihai Prună and Marius Ionel Ştefan.
- If prosecutor Viorel Cerbu cited before the commission from Goethe, Vlad Grigorescu referred to Machiavelli, quoting from “Principles”. He said that the DNA is today in a moment where the problems are known, but the measures are postponed to preserve an institutional comfort.
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Prosecutor Vlad Grigorescu: “The current moment is one that requires action, not a conjunctural reform”
Table of Contents
- Prosecutor Vlad Grigorescu: “The current moment is one that requires action, not a conjunctural reform”
- “There is a growing discrepancy between the effort made and the results obtained”
- “Constant delegation to management positions is not beneficial for DNA”
- Viorel Cerbu says he wants to increase the “efficiency of communication”: “The relationship with the press is difficult, but necessary”
- Viorel Cerbu: “My major goal is to gain the trust of judges in the activity of prosecutors”
- Viorel Cerbu: “Corruption cannot be eliminated, but it can be kept under control”
- Viorel Cerbu, in front of the interview committee
- Who are the committee members?
- Who are the prosecutors who want to lead anti-corruption
- Who are the prosecutors who are running for the head of the big prosecutor’s offices
At this time, Vlad Grigorescu, prosecutor at DIICOT, is giving the interview before the commission.
Quote from Niccolò Machiavelli: “It must be observed that diseases, at first, are difficult to recognize but easy to treat, and later they become easy to recognize but difficult to treat.”
He said that, from his point of view, “today we have stagnation and professional attrition and an increasing vulnerability to external factors.
“The current moment is one that requires action, not a conjunctural reform, but a lucid intervention based on concrete data”, said Grigorescu.
“There is a growing discrepancy between the effort made and the results obtained”
Vlad Grigorescu criticizes DNA’s activity, stating that the latest figures of the activity reports indicate “a growing discrepancy between the effort made and the results obtained” and a decrease in the number of cases solved by indictments.
Grigorescu specified that if the head of the DNA arrives, the first decision will be to convene the general assembly of prosecutors to inform him of all the dysfunctions they face and what solutions are proposed.
“Constant delegation to management positions is not beneficial for DNA”
He said that another measure he would take immediately would be the clear regulation, through clear rules, regarding the moving of prosecutors from one structure to another. Currently, they are not transparent, and there is a perception of arbitrariness.
“Also, I will modify the imputability procedure and introduce a collegial analysis by a commission, made up of prosecutors from several structures of the DNA, and, a wish of mine, with the participation of prosecutors from the General Prosecutor’s Office and INM. The decision will no longer rest with one person”, prosecutor Grigorescu also stated.
Another measure announced by prosecutor Grigorescu, in the event that the head of DNA will arrive, is the initiation of procedures to fill vacant positions: “Constant delegation to management positions is not beneficial to the institution.”
Viorel Cerbu says he wants to increase the “efficiency of communication”: “The relationship with the press is difficult, but necessary”
Considering his “vast professional and managerial experience”, prosecutor Cerbu was asked what else motivates him to run for DNA headship.
“The possibility of developing an institution to which I am very emotionally attached, to bring added value. Satisfaction is linked to the group of people. I believe in the idea of a professional family. I think these are the elements that define a professional”, answered Viorel Cerbu.
Asked what he would improve in public communication, which the current head of DNA, Marius Voineag, indicated yesterday as a vulnerability of the institution, prosecutor Cerbu indicated “the way of addressing citizens”.
He stated that “the relationship with the mass media, which is difficult, complicated, but necessary. I would increase the efficiency of communication, to constantly communicate directly so that citizens are aware of what we aim for in our activity.”
Prosecutor Viorel Cerbu’s interview ended shortly after 10:00 am.
Viorel Cerbu: “My major goal is to gain the trust of judges in the activity of prosecutors”
Asked which type of communication he will give more importance to, if he becomes head of DNA, Viorel Cerbu emphasized that “both are extremely important”.
“Communication is needed with the Ministry of Justice, the CSM, the Judicial Inspection, with the courts. My major objective is to gain the trust and maintain the trust of the judges in the activity of the prosecutors,” replied Cerbu.
Viorel Cerbu was asked what he would do if the competence to handle cases with magistrates returned to the competence of the DNA, as it was in the past.
“There were certain perceptions that generally have doubt, mistrust. The administration of justice and the carrying out of the criminal investigation must be a mechanism that conveys certainty, trust. Not only for citizens, but also for the other actors who compete in carrying out the act of justice.”
Viorel Cerbu: “Corruption cannot be eliminated, but it can be kept under control”
“Nowhere in the world can corruption be eliminated, but it can be kept under control”, said prosecutor Viorel Cerbu in front of the interview commission, stressing that the chief prosecutor of the DNA must be a specialist in the profession.
“I propose that we succeed in changing the image of DNA as an institution of force in public perception. I want DNA to be a social partner. Let’s offer hope that the evil can be corrected through judicial instruments,” Cerbu said before the commission.
Viorel Cerbu, in front of the interview committee
The first candidate registered for the position of chief prosecutor of the DNA who entered the interview is Ioan-Viorel Cerbu, prosecutor within the DNA, delegated to the position of deputy chief prosecutor. Cerbu began to present his candidacy project for the headship of the DNA.
Ioan-Viorel Cerbu stated that the supreme value of an institution is its people. “In the management project, I focused the weight of the ideas on people, on the entire DNA staff. Through my professional experience and broad vision of crime, I can mobilize them to increase work efficiency,” stated Cerbu.
The interviews before the Commission established at the Ministry of Justice started at 08:30, with Viorel Cerbu. From 10:00, Vlad Grigorescu is scheduled and from 11:30, Tatiana Toader. The following are scheduled to fill the 2 positions of Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the DNA: Marinela Mincă, from 1:00 p.m., Mihai Prună, from 2:30 p.m. and Marius Ionel Ştefan, from 4:00 p.m.
Who are the committee members?
The members of the commission that evaluate the future heads of the big prosecutor’s offices are:
- Minister of Justice Radu Marinescu;
- lawyer Roxana Momeu, secretary of state in the Ministry of Justice;
- Octavian-Lucian Păun – head of the Control Body of the Ministry of Justice;
- Aurelian-Mirel Toader – head of DNA Cluj, prosecutor appointed by the CSM;
- Ionuț Botnaru – deputy head of PCA Ploiesti, prosecutor appointed by the CSM;
- prosecutor Marian Trușcă, deputy of the INM;
- Ana-Maria Georgescu, psychologist;
- Răzvan-Andrei Corboş, university lecturer at ASE Bucharest.
Who are the prosecutors who want to lead anti-corruption
Tatiana Toader
Graduated in Law from the “Ovidius” University Constanța, Tatiana Toader started in the prosecutor’s office in 2005, at the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the District Court 2. Later, she worked at the Prosecutor’s Office of the Bucharest Court, respectively the Prosecutor’s Office of the Bucharest Court of Appeal (PCAB).
Who are the prosecutors who want to lead anti-corruption and anti-mafia in Romania
In 2017, she was elected a member of the CSM, where she also had the mandate of vice president (in 2019).
After the six-year mandate at the CSM, in 2023 Tatiana Toader returned to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Bucharest Court of Appeal. In the same year, he entered the race for one of the positions of deputy head of DNA, which he obtained.
The last wealth declaration published by Tatiana Toader dates from 2024. According to the document, she owns an apartment in Bucharest, a car and a bank deposit in which she has 9,400 lei. The total salary income declared by the deputy head of DNA for the year 2023 was 325,440 lei.
Ioan Viorel Cerbu
The second deputy of the head of DNA, Ioan Viorel Cerbu, is also running for the position of chief prosecutor of the institution.
Graduated in Law from the University of Bucharest, Ioan Viorel Cerbu has 30 years of experience as a magistrate. He made his debut at the Prosecutor’s Office of the 3rd District Court of Bucharest in 1996, and three years later became a prosecutor at the General Prosecutor’s Office.
Ioan Viorel Cerbu has worked in DNA since 2004 and has held various management positions at the department level.
In 2013, prosecutor Cerbu left DNA for DIICOT. Later, in 2019, he was appointed general prosecutor at the Prosecutor’s Office of the Bucharest Court of Appeal.
In 2023, after Marius Voineag became the head of the DNA, Ioan Viorel Cerbu became his adviser, later being appointed the head of the Technical Service of the DNA, and then he was appointed the deputy chief prosecutor.
In the last interview granted last week to journalist Sorina Matei, Marius Voineag had only words of praise for prosecutor Cerbu, indicating him as one of the most experienced DNA prosecutors.
Ioan Viorel Cerbu was the prosecutor who coordinated the last investigation in the Port of Constanța file.
Prosecutor Cerbu has an apartment in Bucharest and three cars, according to the latest wealth declaration. In 2024, he reported debts in the total amount of 50,000 lei and 27,622 euros, and in savings accounts: 30,905 lei. In 2023, Ioan Viorel Cerbu collected outstanding salaries and rights totaling 382,843 lei.
Vlad Grigorescu
Graduated in Law from the “Dimitrie Cantemir” Christian University in Bucharest and with two master’s degrees from the Titu Maiorescu University, Vlad Grigorescu began his work as a prosecutor at the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Focșani District Court in 2013. He worked in the DNA during 2021-2023, at the Judicial Section, from where he moved to DIICOT, where he still works.
When Grigorescu left DNA, it was circulated that his name appeared in the interceptions from the corruption file concerning Otopeni Airport.
Regarding wealth, Vlad Grigorescu recorded in the last wealth declaration, published in 2024, savings in the amount of approximately 100,000 lei and the amount of 23,000 euros granted as a loan to a natural person.
Prosecutor Grigorescu does not own any real estate or car, according to the wealth declaration. In 2024, he reported salary income in the total amount of 296,853 lei.
Who are the prosecutors who are running for the head of the big prosecutor’s offices
On February 16, the Ministry of Justice announced that all 19 candidates who applied for management positions at the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism met the necessary conditions.
On Monday, Cristina Chiriac, chief prosecutor within DNA Iaşi, and Bogdan-Ciprian Pîrlog, military prosecutor within the Military Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Bucharest Military Court, had scheduled interviews for the position of general prosecutor.
Also on Monday, Marius Voineag, the current chief prosecutor of the DNA, was interviewed for the position of deputy general prosecutor of the PICCJ.
The interviews continue tomorrow, February 25, when the candidates for the leadership of the Organized Crime and Terrorism Investigation Directorate (DIICOT) are scheduled.
The prosecutors running for the position of chief prosecutor of DIICOT:
- Ioana-Bogdana Albani, chief prosecutor within the Department of Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – central structure;
- Antonia Diaconu, chief prosecutor within the Department of Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Pitesti Territorial Service;
- Alina Albu, chief prosecutor of the Organized Crime and Terrorism Investigation Department;
- Codrin-Horaţiu Miron, chief prosecutor within the Department of Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Timisoara Territorial Service;
- Bogdan-Ciprian Pîrlog, military prosecutor within the Military Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Bucharest Military Court.
For the position of Deputy Chief Prosecutor of DIICOT:
- Aurel-Cristian Lazăr, prosecutor within the Department of Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Timişoara Territorial Service;
- Alex-Florin Florența, general prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice;
- Claudia-Ionela Curelaru, deputy chief prosecutor of the Organized Crime and Terrorism Investigation Department;
- Gill-Julien Grigore-Iacobici, prosecutor in the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Constanța Court of Appeal;
- Mihai-Răzvan Negulescu, prosecutor in the Department of Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism.
The results of the selection will be published on March 2 on the Internet page of the Ministry of Justice, and the minister will submit the motivated proposals to the Section for Prosecutors of the CSM, for issuing the advisory opinion.
Later, these motivated proposals will be sent to the president Nicusor Dan, who will make the final decision.
The positions of general prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court and that of chief prosecutor of DNA remain vacant starting from March 31, and that of chief prosecutor of DIICOT from April 14, notes Agerpres.