Bro, hold on tight 'cause I'm about to drop what I found out today! Dude, it's total war between the Government and Justice - like watching a boxing match between pensioners, but here the cash is real. The Bolojan Government is threatening to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court, after the High Court of Cassation and Justice, led by Lia Savonea, sued them for not paying magistrates' overdue salaries. And it's not pocket change, bro - we're talking 2 billion euro, which is more than I've earned since I was born, multiplied by all my BMW installments. Let me break it down for you.
On the agenda of Thursday's Government meeting is a briefing on "the litigation initiated by the High Court of Cassation and Justice against the Government of Romania and the Ministry of Finance." Basically, the High Court wants to force the Executive to supplement the budget with amounts related to enforceable titles due in 2026. That is, judges are demanding their rights won in court, but the Government says it has no money. The Secretary General of the Government, Dan Reșitnec, drafted a note explaining why referring to the CCR is opportune: "The judiciary has neither the technical competence nor the legitimacy to decide how public money is distributed." In other words: "You judge, we pay - but don't tell us how to split the cash."
And so, we find ourselves with a constitutional conflict between the Government and Justice. Man, it's like we're back in the day when these guys were fighting on Fane's terrace, but now it's official. The High Court, led by Lia Savonea, sued the Government at the end of March for "unjustified refusal to provide the plaintiff with the necessary funds to pay overdue salary rights established by final court decisions." The state must pay magistrates 2 billion euro, following a wave of lawsuits in recent years, with the money being paid in installments. And I'm here complaining about being late on my BMW payment...
The Supreme Court's move came after the Government decided to postpone payments this year and redirect the funds allocated to magistrates to the social package for vulnerable people. When drafting the 2026 budget, although the sums were initially planned, Ilie Bolojan decided to move the extra money allocated to magistrates to pay pension benefits and arrears to town halls - measures demanded at the time by the PSD. The 2026 budget draft sent to Parliament allocated nearly 5 billion lei to the High Court, about 50% more than the previous year, including funds for overdue payments. However, the Government decided to postpone some payments, redirecting funds to the 1.1 billion lei social aid package. So, between judges and pensioners, Bolojan chose pensioners. And I'm thinking: if Mioara were in his shoes, she'd also think of pensioners, 'cause she's waiting for her special Lidl pension too.
In the lawsuit, the High Court argued that non-payment of overdue amounts violates magistrates' property rights and the principle of separation of powers. The Supreme Court accused the Government of undermining the legitimacy of the courts. Seriously, bro, it's like we're in "Filantropica": they're suing each other, and we, the common folk, pay. And so, we end up with a case at the ECHR - yes, yes, six magistrates are asking the ECHR to sanction Romania for delaying payment of salary rights that magistrates increased themselves through court decisions. The Government Agent for the ECHR requested data from several judicial institutions on the number of salary lawsuits won by magistrates and the amounts paid or still owed by the state.
In May, the Government accused the High Court and the Bucharest Court of Appeal of refusing to provide data on the billions of lei owed to magistrates, data requested for Romania's defense in a case at the ECHR. The Government argued that the lack of this information "creates a risk" that Romania will lose the case. "The information provided will create an incomplete picture, given that the High Court of Cassation and Justice and the Bucharest Court of Appeal did not transmit any relevant information, although they are expected to hold some of the largest payment amounts for salary claims," the Executive's response states. According to the Government, the High Court communicated that it has no additional information beyond what is publicly available, and the Bucharest Court of Appeal cited a lack of centralization, the risk of errors, and limited time to justify the impossibility of transmitting the requested data. So, bro, some don't know how much they owe, others won't say. Like in my building: the upstairs neighbor says he can't afford maintenance, but he's got a new Audi.
The data communicated to the Government indicates payments in the billions of lei to magistrates. The Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice reported 3,997 rulings on salary rights between 2006 and 2025, with the state paying approximately 1.7 billion lei, and another 1.12 billion lei still owed. The Superior Council of Magistracy reported 5,626 rulings, with payments of about 118 million lei and approximately 135 million lei remaining to be paid at the end of 2025. Courts of appeal across the country, except those in Bucharest and Târgu Mureș, reported payments of approximately 2.55 billion lei by the end of 2022, without transmitting the status of overdue amounts. So, bro, the numbers are big, but nobody knows exactly how much is still owed.
The President of the High Court, Lia Savonea, previously stated that "we do not consider it appropriate to enter into a public or institutional dispute with a Government that is in a resigned state" and that "a real and constructive dialogue must be held with the future Government, after its installation." She added that the High Court remains "open to a balanced and professional dialogue." Due to the political deadlock, Ilie Bolojan remains at the helm of the Government two months after being dismissed by a no-confidence motion filed by the PSD and AUR. So, until a new government is formed, they're suing each other, and we, the Romanians, pay. I'm going to explain to Mioara that if judges also go on unemployment, maybe Ioana's allowance will increase.
