Public hearings for several subjects found to have no integrity issues in the external evaluation

On June 9 and 10, the Judicial Vetting Commission held a new round of public hearings as part of the external evaluation process. Although the analysis of accumulated information revealed that all invited subjects were found to have no integrity issues, the hearings offered them an opportunity to express their views on the evaluation procedure they had undergone.

At this stage of the process, 16 evaluation subjects were invited—sitting judges and candidates for positions at the Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ). Over the course of the two hearing days, 11 of them appeared before the Commission, while 5 chose not to participate.

According to the procedure, candidates for the position of judge at the Supreme Court of Justice were heard by the full panel of the Commission, while sitting judges and candidates for the Courts of Appeal were heard by a panel composed of three members.

During the hearings, the subjects were asked to confirm that the information they had provided to the Commission throughout the verification process remained accurate and complete. They were also given the opportunity to make brief statements, if they deemed it necessary.

The hearings were conducted in Romanian, with consecutive interpretation into English, and were audio-video recorded. The recordings will be published on the Commission’s website and YouTube channel within three days.

The evaluation process unfolded over several months, during which the Commission gathered and analyzed all available information from both public and private sources, focusing on aspects related to financial and ethical integrity. During this period, the subjects responded to multiple rounds of questions, including by providing additional supporting documentation. Upon request, the Commission granted subjects access to all materials in their evaluation files, in accordance with the procedure established by the Commission’s Rules of Organization and Functioning.

General statistics

Since the beginning of its activity, the Judicial Vetting Commission has received 180 individuals for evaluation, based on the three laws governing the external evaluation process. Of these, 58 individuals either resigned or withdrew from competitions, while 4 had previously passed the pre-vetting stage. To date, the Commission has completed 72 evaluations, and another 46 are currently ongoing. The majority of subjects chose to participate in the public hearings organized by the Commission.

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