Judgment_paragraph 216 · Asociaţia 'Forumul Judecătorilor din România' and Others v Inspecţia Judiciară and Others (C-83/19, C-127/19, C-195/19, C-291/19, C-355/19, C-397/19)

216Secondly, an autonomous structure within the Public Prosecutor’s Office, such as the SIIJ, which is responsible for investigating offences committed by judges and prosecutors, is capable of prejudicing the trust which justice in a democratic society governed by the rule of law must inspire individuals, in so far as that structure could, depending on the rules governing the powers, composition and operation of such a structure, and the relevant national context, be perceived as seeking to establish an instrument of pressure and intimidation with regard to those judges, and thus lead to an appearance of a lack of independence or impartiality on their part.