| A NEW MINISTER FOR THE ROMANIAN JUDICIARY 03/03/2008 |
| (2008-03-03) |
| Last updated: 2008-03-04 14:21 EET |
Yet another political crisis has come to an end in Romania, as countless others have in the past. As of Monday, 3rd March, the country has a new Justice Minister: lawyer Catalin Predoiu, replacing interim minister Teodor Melescanu, holder of the Defence Minister office. The Justice Minister seat was vacated on 9th December, as Tudor Chiuariu, who had been criminally prosecuted, submitted his resignation, immediately accepted by President Traian Basescu, with whom he had hardly got along, just like most other Liberals.
The Justice Ministry vacancy was not filled for over a month. The Liberal Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu nominated fellow Liberal Norica Nicolai. But the nomination was turned down by President Basescu, who questioned her professional and moral standards, which is why the lady in question announced she would sue the Head of State. After the Premier appointed Teodor Melescanu as acting minister on 15th January, last Friday Tariceanu sent Catalin Predoiu's nomination to the President. A surprising move, which thwarted all scenarios, including the plans of some Liberal heavyweights.
ZIUA daily reads that Liberal hard-liners accused party leader Tariceanu of choosing to talk with his opponent, president Basescu, instead of requesting the party to approve the nomination. And Senator Radu Stroe, originally nominated by party leaders for the Defence Ministry seat, with Melescanu to be transferred to the Justice Ministry, stated he had learned of Predoiu's nomination from the TV.
But who is Predoiu? An old supporter of the Liberals, Predoiu will turn 40 this august. He graduated from the Bucharest law school in 1991. Between 1994 and 2007, he taught business law at the same university. He has authored business law papers, published in specialised magazines in Romania. As co-author of a treatise on trade companies, he received the Romanian Academy Award. In 2004, Predoiu completed a business law Ph.D. programme with honours, and attended a business law training scheme at the Caen Bar in France. So far he has been a partner in a prestigious law firm, rated by various international catalogues as one of the best in the field. And Catalin Marian Predoiu last year ranked second in a lawyers' top recommended by Cadwalader law firm, in the US, one of the highest appreciated business law companies. Only time will tell whether he is as good a minister as he is a lawyer.
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2025-04-03
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