Minister of Justice Radu Marinescu on Friday said that the accusations made in the Recorder documentary must be clarified and that investigations by the Judicial Inspectorate (IJ) must be carried out 'without delay, objectively, impartially, correctly and fully.'

The minister's statement comes after the Section for Judges of the Superior Council of Magistracy announced on Friday that it had decided to notify the Judicial Inspectorate to conduct checks regarding the issues raised in the Recorder investigation documentary.

'A welcome and absolutely necessary notification. If the media raises allegations of abuses or any situations that may constitute disciplinary offences then verifying them is imperative. IJ investigations must be carried out without delay, objectively, impartially, correctly and fully, based on evidence and on the principle of establishing the truth. The accusations made in the documentary must be clarified and if guilt exists it must be established promptly and correctly and sanctioned,' Radu Marinescu wrote on his Facebook page.

The Recorder documentary features several prosecutors and judges, some with protected identities, who reveal how the leadership of the Bucharest Court of Appeal routinely replaced judges on panels to obtain favourable decisions for individuals accused of corruption. Among the cases examined are those of Marian Vanghelie, Cristian Burci and Puiu Popoviciu.

Judge Laurentiu Besu reveals serious misconduct at the Bucharest Court of Appeal where he worked for a period after being temporarily transferred from the Giurgiu Tribunal. Besu says his new colleagues told him he had been moved because it was no longer desired for him to remain on the panel judging the case of doctor Mircea Beuran, who was accused of corruption.

Besu's statements were upheld by a judge who intervened during the press conference held on Thursday by the leadership of the Bucharest Court of Appeal.

'My name is Raluca Morosanu. I am a judge at the First Criminal Division of the Bucharest Court of Appeal. I have 26 years of judicial service, 19 of which at the Bucharest Court of Appeal. I came here to support my colleague Laurentiu Besu and to say that everything he said there is true. If he is contradicted, it is a lie. Here at the Bucharest Court of Appeal we work very hard. The leadership does not help us in any way. We are simply terrorised with disciplinary actions and everything you know is happening to us. I do not want to describe the atmosphere or the toxic and tense situation we are in. Some of my colleagues agree with me, I do not know what the others will do, here are some who will probably support the leadership. As an aside, I have never been a covert officer nor part of ‘Doi si un sfert' [intelligence unit] or anywhere else. I have been a magistrate all my life. Colleagues across the country know me because I have also worked as a trainer at the National Institute of Magistracy and at the National School of Clerks for almost 15 years. They will know I am not lying. If they do not believe my colleague Laurentiu, they should at least believe me. That is all I could say,' the magistrate said at the start of the conference. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Mihai Stoica; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)