In 2018, former Romanian PM
Victor Ponta posted a picture on his Facebook page in which Kövesi was sitting at the same table with politician
Liviu Dragnea (former president of
Social Democrat Party) and former head of
Romanian Intelligence George Maior. Victor Ponta explained that the picture was taken at a birthday party back in 2014, while Liviu Dragnea was under investigation for corruption charges by
National Anticorruption Directorate of which chief prosecutor was Kövesi. This sparked doubt over the neutrality with which Kövesi was leading the National Anticorruption Directorate. In 2018, the
Social Democratic Party-led
government established the "Department for Investigating Judicial Offences" to investigate prosecutors. This was criticized by the
Venice Commission, who considered that they would likely undermine the independence of the Romanian prosecutors and judges and public confidence in the judiciary. Nevertheless, the government pushed forward, and, on 13 February 2019, Laura Codruța Kövesi was summoned by this institution as a suspect in a case in which the allegations are
malfeasance in office,
bribery and
false testimony, following a complaint by
Sebastian Ghiță, a fugitive politician and businessman prosecuted for corruption. On 7 March 2019, Kövesi was summoned and questioned by the prosecutors of the Department for Investigating Judicial Offences; at the end she was notified that she was a suspect in a second, different investigation, where she was accused of coordinating an "organized group of prosecutors" which prosecuted people illegally. The Romanian High Court of Cassation and Justice disciplinary Prosecutor's Section issued a statement on 24 of June 2019, about one of the actions aimed at Laura Codruța Kövesi. Prosecutors have dismissed the disciplinary action initiated by the Judicial Inspection over the former DNA Chief. The Romanian High Court of Cassation considered her innocent. ==Merits and distinctions==