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BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors have demanded that the country's top judicial body defend their reputations, saying the independence of the justice system is at stake.
The 135 prosecutors said Friday they had asked the Supreme Council of Magistrates to publicly support them after people with "political functions," claimed the prosecutors act illegally.
The development came after Justice Minister Tudorel Toader called for the removal of Laura Codruta Kovesi, the country's chief anti-corruption prosecutor, citing what he said were serious concerns about the way she did her job.
Prosecutors say Toader's statements are based on "untruths." They say they are concerned about "the independence of the justice system and the future of the anti-corruption fight."
President Klaus Iohannis has suggested that politicians indicted for corruption are trying to undermine the anti-graft fight.
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