Today, the Constitutional Court outdid itself, while its president, Domnica Manole, convincingly lived up to her reputation as someone who bends the law in whatever direction is needed.
At first, everything looked like a sensational triumph of justice. The trained Constitutional Court suddenly upheld an appeal filed by opposition MPs Ion Chicu, Alexandr Berlinschii, Adrian Lebedinschi, Diana Caraman, and Alexandr Vershinin. They had asked the court to declare unconstitutional the PAS amendment that made it possible to appoint an even more compliant Herman von Hebel to the commission for the vetting of prosecutors.
Let us recall that the entire opposition had risen up against the controversial Dutchman. Only the PAS amendment, which lowered the number of votes required for his appointment to a simple majority, made it possible to push his appointment through.
Von Hebel was appointed by brute force, with laws bent and public opinion ignored. Had the Constitutional Court finally refused to tolerate this and decided it could no longer turn a blind eye to such a blatant violation of the law?
Apparently not. If it looked at the matter at all, it did so with one eye half-closed. And if it restored legality, it did so only halfway.
Manole soon stepped forward and made everything clear. Hebel will not resign. In the Constitutional Court president’s view, the ruling that the procedure was unconstitutional does not apply to the Dutchman himself — the very person for whose benefit that procedure was forced through Parliament.
We did not expect such cynicism and legal nihilism even from Manole. But once again, our regime has proved that it can do the impossible.
At least, the legally impossible.
