Romania’s ruling party treasurer prosecuted for misuse of public subsidies

Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) started an investigation against Mircea Draghici, the treasurer of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), on charges of embezzlement and misuse of public subsidies.

The prosecutors believe that Draghici took EUR 380,000 from the state subsidies PSD received in 2018 to buy a property. He took the money through a long-term leasing contract through which he rented the same property to the party for a period of 10 years, according to a DNA press release. Both contracts were canceled after the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) started an investigation on how PSD used the state subsidies.

Mircea Draghici commented that the investigation against him could be connected to his involvement in coordinating PSD’s electoral campaign for the European Parliament elections. He added that he believed it was exaggerated to be investigated for breaking a law that he had made himself while he served as an MP, according to G4Media.ro.

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