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Bloomberg
A Romanian anti-graft crusader won support from a key panel of European Union lawmakers to become the bloc’s first chief prosecutor, highlighting EU concerns about the erosion of democracy in the country.
Laura Codruta Kovesi, who was fired by Romania’s ruling Socialist Democrats after she put dozens of corrupt politicians behind bars, gained the backing of the European Parliament’s committee on civil liberties, justice and home affairs for the EU appointment.
The committee voted on Wednesday in Brussels for Kovesi over two rival candidates: Jean-Francois Bohnert of France and Andres Ritter of Germany. The recommendation sets up a clash with EU governments because they’ve endorsed Bohnert for the job, which will involve investigating and prosecuting crimes such as fraud against the EU’s 140 billion-euro ($160 billion) annual budget.
“It’s going to be a very challenging discussion,†Claude Moraes, chair of the EU Parliament committee, said in an interview after the verdict.
Kovesi received 26 votes compared with 22 for second-place Bohnert, who nonetheless last week received almost twice as much backing from EU member countries as she did.