The High Court of Cassation and Justice is expected to deliver its final ruling today in the case concerning the payment of judges’ salary arrears, estimated at 5 billion lei

The High Court of Cassation and Justice is expected to issue its final ruling on Thursday in the lawsuit brought against the Government and the Ministry of Finance for the payment of outstanding salary rights owed to magistrates, amounting to approximately 5 billion lei. The ruling has already been postponed five times.

At first instance, the Bucharest Court of Appeal admitted the High Court’s action and ordered the Government and the Ministry of Finance to pay the amounts, including through a budget rectification. Payment should be made within 10 days of the ruling becoming final, with penalties of 1% for each day of delay and a fine amounting to 20% of the gross minimum wage in the economy per day.

The High Court maintains that the failure to pay enforceable titles, some of which have remained unpaid for more than ten years, affects judges’ property rights and undermines the authority of the courts. The Government, however, disputes the possibility of the court imposing budget allocations and has requested that the Constitutional Court and the CJEU be notified.