Prosecutors freeze Romanian SocDem leader’s assets

Romania’s anticorruption prosecutors froze all of Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea’s assets on Tuesday, November 21. Dragnea leads Romania’s governing party and is Chamber of Deputies speaker. The prosecutors’ measure is aimed at preventing the PSD leader from dissipating his assets as he is currently under investigation for abuse of office and EU funds fraud. The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) officially announced Liviu Dragnea’s prosecution on November 13. This new DNA case against the powerful PSD leader is based on an investigation carried out by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) in 2015 and 2016 and is connected to the illegal use of EU funds by the Teleorman County Council during the period when Dragnea was its president. The prosecutors are looking to recover over RON 127.5 million (EUR 27.4 million) from Liviu Dragnea and four other suspects in this case, whose assets were also frozen. Dragnea went to the DNA headquarters on Tuesday evening to be informed of the prosecutors’ measures. The distraint covers all of his properties, bank accounts, shares in companies as well as rental revenues. The PSD leader commented on the DNA decision saying that he was used as “a means to block the justice laws” by people who are hiding behind institutions. “A distraint on my life is probably next,” he said, adding that DNA is not the most important institution in Romania. EU anti-fraud body: EUR 21 million need to be recovered in Romanian party leader case Controversial Romanian construction company investigated for EU funds fraud Romanian prosecutors confirm new probe involving majority leader after journalistic investigation editor@romania-insider.com