Laura Codruta Kovesi was the face of Romania’s efforts to stamp out graft. This week, her role in a crusade that’s locked up hundreds of crooked officials in one of the European Union’s most corrupt nations came to an end.
Complying with a Constitutional Court decree, President Klaus Iohannis fired Kovesi, the country’s chief anti-corruption prosecutor, on Monday. A staunch opponent of government initiatives seen as damaging to the rule of law, Iohannis had tried to shield her. He finally bowed under the threat of suspension from the ruling party.
