BUCHAREST — As a prosecutor, Laura Codruța Kövesi has gone after top politicians, powerful businessmen and corrupt judges. She's not going to be fazed by a bit of Brussels politicking.

Kövesi, Romania's former anti-corruption chief, is one of two remaining candidates to be the European Union's first public prosecutor, tasked with investigating crimes linked to the EU budget, such as fraud, corruption and money laundering.

She is at the center of a power struggle between the European Parliament, which has backed her for the job, and the Council of the EU, made up of member governments, which prefers rival French candidate Jean-François Bohnert. Extraordinarily, her own government has tried to sabotage her chances, accusing her of conducting a witch hunt against politicians.

Negotiations between the two institutions are expected to resume once the new European Parliament is up and running after last month's election. For some diplomats in Brussels, the best way to resolve the impasse would be for the EU to unite around Bohnert, as he also received strong support from members of the European Parliament and does not face the problem of opposition from his home government.

But, in an interview with POLITICO, Kövesi made clear she wants to fight on.

Kövesi now works in a lower-profile job, but she has recently enjoyed some spectacular success from her previous role.

Asked whether she had considered withdrawing from the race, Kövesi, a tall 46-year-old from Transylvania, shook her head slowly.

"No, under no circumstance," she said, sitting at a table in her large, sparsely decorated prosecutor's office in Bucharest, overlooking the giant communist-era Palace of the Parliament across the street. "As long as this procedure is not finalized, I have a chance to get this job and I am fighting for my chance — until the last second."

Kövesi was dismissed last year from her job as the head of Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA). Opposition politicians and anti-corruption activists say the ruling Social Democrats forced Kövesi out because she had secured a long string of convictions against leading politicians.

Kövesi now works in a lower-profile job, but she has recently enjoyed some spectacular success from her previous role.

Last month, Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea — long considered the most powerful man in Romania — was jailed for three and a half years in a case involving fake jobs for party workers that Kövesi handled.

Earlier in the month, Romania's Supreme Court dismissed accusations of abuse of office, bribery and false testimony that a government agency brought against Kövesi. It also found that various restrictive measures placed on her, including a temporary ban on leaving the country, were illegal.

Clean-up operation

Kövesi was only 33 in 2006 when she was appointed the first woman to be Romania’s prosecutor general. Seven years later, when she took on the role of anti-corruption chief, she embarked on a society-wide clean-up, presiding over cases involving leading politicians from all parties, businessmen and magistrates.

Romania is not alone in facing problems of deep-seated corruption, but Kövesi's investigations unveiled the extent of it in one of the EU's poorest countries.

During her time at the DNA, the agency took legal action against about 1,000 people every year, of which about 900 were convicted, she said. That record, she argued, makes her a strong candidate for the EU job.

"Under my leadership, the DNA has become a model of good practices in southeast Europe in regard to high-level corruption," she said.

The DNA is also the only institution in Romania that investigates fraud involving EU funds, which Kövesi said is a priority for her: Over 2,000 such cases were investigated yearly during her time in office.

“Having investigated so many cases, that means I also know very well the typology of the crimes. Once you know how the deed is done, you also know how to catch them," she said, emphasizing that this experience would also be valuable at EU level. "Corruption wasn’t invented in Romania. It's not a new brand."

The fight over corruption in Romania has become an international political issue.

But she also acknowledged the political difficulties she faces.

“What’s certain is that I am a candidate without the support of the Romanian state, while my French colleague has the support of the French state," Kövesi said. "During the negotiations, the support that the government of Romania gives or does not give to a candidate can matter."

However, she added she does not believe the Romanian government's stance would be decisive.

The fight over corruption in Romania has become an international political issue. Last summer, U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani sent a letter to President Klaus Iohannis in which he accused the DNA of "excesses," seemingly taking sides with the government. Giuliani was paid by a consulting firm to write the letter for reasons that remain unclear.

On the other side of the argument, in April this year a group of 12 countries, including the U.S., warned the Romanian government not to pass emergency laws that risk weakening the justice system and its ability to fight corruption.

Since Dragnea's jailing, the Romanian government has signaled it wants to move back to the European political mainstream, in part by abandoning its drive to roll back anti-corruption measures. But in an interview with POLITICO this week, Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă declined to answer when asked if the government would change its position on Kövesi.

For her part, Kövesi dismissed speculation that she wants to move into politics and run for president of Romania, saying she has no intention of leaving the legal profession.

She said she's content to be "patient" while negotiations between the Council of the EU and the European Parliament play out.

"I used to play basketball and there were situations in which I won important games in the last second," Kövesi said. "Your adversary was leading by a point and in the last five seconds you would score a goal and win the game."

And if she doesn't get the EU job?

“There’s always a plan B, I always have plans. But now my plan is to stay and fight for this candidacy.”

Carmen Paun contributed reporting.

This article is part of POLITICO’s coverage of the EU budget, tracking the development of the seven-year multi-annual financial framework. For a complimentary trial, email pro@politico.eu mentioning Budget.