Ion Covalciuc withdraws from the SCJ competition before evaluation report is issued

Prosecutor Ion Covalciuc, a candidate for the position of judge at the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ), has withdrawn from the selection process. A withdrawal request was submitted to the Judicial Vetting Commission, which has taken note of the candidate's withdrawal. The request is to be examined by the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM).

The withdrawal occurred after the public hearing had been held and before the evaluation procedure was completed through the issuance of the evaluation report.

This is the second time that Ion Covalciuc has withdrawn from the competition for the position of judge at the Supreme Court of Justice. During the previous competition, held in 2025, the candidate withdrew after receiving a notification regarding certain integrity-related issues that were to be discussed during the public hearing. He subsequently submitted a new application to participate in the 2026 competition, and the Superior Council of Magistracy once again referred his candidacy to the Commission for evaluation.

Pursuant to Law No. 65/2023, candidates for the Supreme Court of Justice are subject to external evaluation. Consequently, once an individual is no longer a candidate, that person can no longer be evaluated. Accordingly, the Commission cannot continue the evaluation procedure unless the SCM rejects the candidate's request to withdraw from the competition.

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Ion Covalciuc withdraws from the SCJ competition before evaluation report is issued

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