Romanian SocDem leader stands trial in new case, says he is not guilty

Liviu Dragnea, the leader of Romania's Social Democratic Party (PSD), was at the High Court of Cassation and Justice on Tuesday, for a new hearing in the case in which he is accused of instigation to abuse of office and forgery. While three defendants in this case admitted to the charges, Dragnea said he is not guilty, and the case is based on three “false testimonies,” reports local Mediafax. Dragnea’s former wife, Bombonica Prodana, as well as other defendants also said that they are not guilty and challenged the evidence presented by the prosecutors, requesting their reevaluation. Bombonica Prodana is charged with abuse of office in this case. Liviu Dragnea and his former wife are accused of having contributed to keeping two public employees on the payroll for several years, although they were not coming to work. The two people in question were employees of the Social Assistance and Child Protection Directorate in Teleorman, where Bombonica Prodan held a management position. She allegedly took no measure against the two employees who were not coming to work but continued to receive salaries. The Child Protection Directorate was under the authority of the Teleorman County Council, which, at that time, was led by Liviu Dragnea. The trial started in late-January this year, with a delay. The next hearing is scheduled for March 28. This is not Liviu Dragnea’s first problem with the law. In 2016, he was sentenced to two years probation for electoral fraud at the 2012 referendum organized to dismiss former President Traian Basescu. The PSD leader challenged the sentence in February saying that he hadn't received the court's motivation. The sentence in the referendum case prevented Dragnea from proposing himself as Prime Minister after the Social Democratic Party (PSD) won the December 11 parliamentary elections. The cabinet led by Sorin Grindeanu adopted a controversial emergency ordinance at the end of January which partly decriminalized abuse of office. The ordinance would have also helped Dragnea with his new case, as the most important charge against him would have been dropped. However, the Government repealed the ordinance only five days after adopting it after massive street protests in Romania. The controversial Emergency Ordinance 13, that aimed to change the Criminal Code, and the Emergency Ordinance 14, which repealed it, are currently under debate in the Parliament. Liviu Dragnea is the president of the Deputies Chamber and has a firm grip on the decisions made by the Sorin Grindeanu cabinet, as president of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).