Ana Birchall, former Minister of Justice, announced in June 2024 that she will run as an independent in the presidential elections to be held in November.
Ana Birchall will run as an independent in the presidential elections PHOTO Facebook
Until 2019, when she was expelled from the PSD, Ana Birchall held several top positions in the Romanian Government and enjoyed a very good image, being considered one of the most active and involved women in Romanian politics. Afterwards, Ana Birchall went into a shadow cone regarding public exposure. That is until January 2022, when she was appointed as Special Representative for Strategic Projects and International Relations within Nuclearelectrica. A position he remained in until March 2024, when he resigned.
And after only three months, in June 2024, a week after the local elections, Ana Birchall announced her candidacy as an independent in the presidential elections this fall. And – the pinnacle! – in the same week, Elena Lasconi also announced her candidacy for the presidential elections.
Against Lia Savonea
In June 2020, Ana Birchall, former Minister of Justice, had contre dure with Lia Savonea, member of the CSM and former head of the Superior Council of Magistracy. Four years ago, Lia Savonea reacted through a point of view published on the CSM website, to the statements of Ana Birchall, who had declared in an interview that the meetings in which Adina Florea was to be validated as the head of the Special Section were set in so that those who did not agree could not get to vote. Among them was Ana Birchall.
“As for the insinuations regarding the manner in which the sessions of the Plenary were fixed, I will only state that, although initially the day of the session was established by common agreement with the former Minister of Justice – Mrs. Ana Birchall in an informal meeting, in the presence and of the other members of the Council, later, his lordship himself informed us that he could not participate on the agreed day“, said Lia Savonea in a press release in June 2020.
“I was kicked out of the PSD because I opposed the toxic changes in the judiciary”
In the presentation she makes on her own website, as a candidate for the presidential elections, Ana Birchall says that the period she spent at the head of the Ministry of Justice (April-November 2019) was
“the most intense I spent in a public position during a critical period for justice in Romania, a period in which the assault and siege on justice grew, in intensity and despair, with each passing day, with each day in which I stood and remained upright, “stiff on my feet”, as my father told me, loyal to the values and principles with which I was raised by my family! I can say with my hand on my heart that in eight months of my mandate as Minister of Justice I managed to take measures that I am proud of, especially since all these things happened under conditions of maximum pressure. In November 2019, I was kicked out of the PSD because I opposed the toxic changes in justice promoted by interest groups desperate to get rid of corruption files. I was expelled from the party that I thought I could reform from within”.
During the time when she was the Minister of Justice, Ana Birchall opposed the Special Section, adopted, among other things, the law tightening the conditions for granting parole for rapists, traffickers, to avoid recidivism, as well as the law for the extended confiscation of illicit assets.
controversies
In May 2008, a divorce petition was registered in the name of Ana Birchall at the Court of Sector 1 Bucharest. Ana Birchall stated that she learned about this request from the press and submitted a request to cancel the divorce request. Ana Birchall also proved that the CNP is wrong and the signature is not hers. She also stated at the time that this whole scandal was meant to discredit her, before the local and parliamentary elections, being convinced that a campaign of denigration and defamation had been launched against her, especially since her name was circulated as a potential future Minister of Education.
In September 2008, in the midst of the electoral campaign for the parliamentary elections, practically on the exact day when she was confirmed as a candidate for a seat in the Chamber of Deputies, Ana Birchall was the subject of another scandal, started by the reporter Iosif Buble, who launched a video recording, several dozen seconds long, in which a woman who apparently had the characteristics of Ana Birchall and an unknown man were shown in intimate poses.
Ana Birchall firmly denied that she was the protagonist of the film, bringing as proof of this a forensic expertise from which it is very clear that another person appears in the film, with a different physiognomy. Ana Birchall later sued Iosif Buble, winning both at first instance and on appeal.
Admitted to masters at Yale, Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge
In terms of career, Ana Birchall can boast an extremely consistent CV. Graduated in Law from the University of Bucharest, Ana Birchall was admitted in 1999 to the master’s degree at four major universities around the world: Harvard, Oxford, Yale, Cambridge. He chose Yale Law School, and in 2002 he became a Doctor of Law at Yale Law School.
After completing her doctorate, Ana Birchall was an associate attorney at the law firm White & Case LLP, one of the most respected law firms in New York.
“The experience in America helped me a lot to learn the meaning of professionalism, efficiency, seriousness, winning mentality. I especially learned what it means to be truly responsible and answerable for your actions and deeds. I never intended to stay abroad. I always knew that I would return to Romania. In 2003, together with my family, I returned to the country with the desire to put my experience, expertise and skills at the service of the country”writes Ana Birchall on her web page.
In 2012, she was elected deputy on the PSD lists. During the Ponta government, Ana Birchall was the prime minister’s senior representative for European affairs and partnership with the US. Between January and June 2017, he held the position of Minister Delegate for European Affairs in the Grindeanu Government and, between February 9 and 23, 2017, he provided the interim position of Minister of Justice after the resignation of Florin Iordache following the protests generated by the promotion of an emergency ordinance which decriminalizes some acts of corruption. During 2018-2019, Ana Birchall was deputy prime minister for Romania’s strategic partnerships promoting Romania’s interests. Between April 24, 2019 – November 4, 2019, he held the position of Minister of Justice in the Dăncilă Government.
Ana Birchall’s impressive fortune
Ana Birchall has the most wealth of any presidential candidate, according to the latest wealth declaration filed on April 15, 2024.
Thus, in terms of land, Ana Birchall owns land outside the village, in the town of Dorna Arini, in Suceava, respectively a plot of 14,000 square meters, bought in 2022, another of 7,447 square meters, bought in 2007, and respectively a third of 16,447 square meters, bought in 2008. He also inherited one hectare of agricultural land in the town of Fulga de Jos, Prahova.
Ana Birchall, the richest candidate in the presidential elections PHOTO Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea
In terms of housing, she alone owns a 50 square meter apartment in the capital, bought in 1997, then, together with her husband, the British Martyn Birchall, she owns another 304.89 square meter apartment in the capital, bought in 2004, a holiday house in the town of Dorna Arini, Suceava, of 240.66 square meters, bought in 2006, as well as two properties in the USA, namely a house of 250 square meters, bought in 2000, in the town of New Haven, and an apartment of 180 square meters, bought in 2002, in New York.
Ana Birchall also owns jewelry worth €65,000, obtained between 1996 and 2023, and gold bars worth €324,220.14, obtained between 2011 and 2024. They also own securities (government bonds, certificates, bonds) in the amount of 98,459.52 euros, 140,310.45 lei and 364,666.86 US dollars.
Ana Birchall has in the chapter of financial assets abroad, a current account of 13,608,32 dollars opened in 2002 at Sovereign Bank USA SANTANDER, as well as one of 129,343 dollars, opened in 2002, at Citi Bank.
Then, he has 3 current accounts at BCR (opened between 2006 and 2007), of 135607.22 lei, 3945.88 dollars, and 151.67 euros, respectively. Similarly, three accounts at Banca Transilvania (opened in 2019), of 249.36 euros, 56.59 dollars and 225.02 pounds sterling. She also has an account of 93,480.05 dollars, at ING, opened in 2009, and one of 53,017 dollars, at HSBC, opened in 1985. She also declared an account of her husband, of 4826.99 lei at Banca Transilvania.
Ana Birchall also has: 3 bank deposits with ING (opened in 2022), of 6747.51 lei, 149.94 euros, and 1678.79 pounds sterling; a bank deposit at BCR, of 440.4 euros (from 2022) and another 3 at Wise, of: 113 lei (from 2023), 425.4 euros (from 2023) and one of 955.22 pounds sterling (from 2003).
Birchall owns securities (state securities, certificates, bonds) worth 140,310.45 lei, 98,459.52 euros, and 364,666.45 dollars, granted a loan to the Pontus Euxinus Institute for Strategic and Security Policies, of 8500 euros, and has financial investments abroad in unlisted private companies in the amount of 23,000,0000 euros.
The former Minister of Justice still has a debt of 10,000 euros to the BCR, due in 2024.
In terms of annual income, she has a daily salary of 536,744 lei, at the Nuclearelectrica company where she was a director, while her husband received 120,000 dollars from Pestforce SRL (a company owned by him).
Ana Birchall mentioned in the declaration of wealth that she collected 18,265 lei from the sale of goods, and another 48,000 dollars with her husband.
