Prosecutor Laura Codruta Koevesi, the former head of Romania's anti-corruption agency, DNA, is due to appear in court in Bucharest next week over allegations of corruption, Romanian media reports say.
Koevesi, a front-runner to become the European Union's first-ever top prosecutor, has been summoned for March 7 in a case where she is accused of abuse of office, bribery and false testimony, according to Romanian news agency Agerpres, which quoted unnamed judicial sources.
On the same day, the European Parliament and representatives of EU member states are set to start talks to choose the head of the new European Public Prosecutor's Office.
Koevesi was dismissed by Romania's government last year in what critics say was a move to prevent the DNA from convicting senior members of the governing alliance.
The leftist government, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, has actively campaigned against Koevesi’s candidacy for the European prosecutor post.
Koevesi has been widely praised by the EU for her results in fighting graft in one of the bloc's most corrupt countries.
Koevesi had already appeared once in court on February 15, on the same day she had been due in Brussels to present her candidacy for the EU prosecutor job.
Critics have said that Koevesi was suddenly subpoenaed to court on abuse-of-office and other charges in order to smear her record and diminish her chances of getting the Brussels position.
Last week, representatives of EU member states backed Koevesi's French rival Francois Bohnert for the top EU anti-corruption post.
But on February 27, European lawmakers threw their support behind Koevesi. As a result, both sides will now need to work out a compromise next week.
