Romanian politician Liviu Dragnea, the leader of the country’s biggest political party, had a surprise as he went to the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) on Monday, June 13, for a hearing in his ex-wife’s case. He had to wait in line almost 15 minutes before he could get in the DNA headquarters. Some 20 people queued at the DNA entrance.

The unique situation was the top story in Romanian media on Monday morning. The queue was a result of the high number of suspects and witnesses, and their lawyers called in for hearings by the DNA prosecutors on Monday morning. The people who enter the DNA headquarters also have to pass through a thorough security check, which makes the process slower.

Liviu Dragnea was called in for a brief hearing in his ex-wife Bombonica Prodanca’s case. The prosecutors have charged her for abuse of office while Dragnea himself was accused of instigation to abuse of office. The two are accused of having paid salaries for two public employees who didn’t come to work between 2008 and 2010. The two employees were on the payroll of the Social Case and Child Protection Directorate in Teleorman, where Bombonica Prodanca was a head of service. The institution was under the authority of the Teleorman County Council, which, at that time, was led by Liviu Dragnea.

Ehen he got to the DNA headquarters on Monday morning, Liviu Dragnea said his presence there was “a gift for someone”. Romania’s President Klaus Ioahnnis celebrated his 57th birthday on Monday, June 13.

Doctor Alexandru Ciocalteu, the manager of the Saint John Emergency Hospital in Bucharest, was also among the people queuing at the DNA headquarters on Monday morning. The prosecutors have accused him of taking over EUR 500,000 bribes from a private company that took over the hospitals test laboratory.

Romania’s anticorruption prosecutors investigate EUR 431 mln bribes in a year

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: captions from Realitatea TV and Digi 24 news channels)