Romania: Ex-PM Ponta heard in a corruption file
Former PM Victor Ponta is being heard at the National Anti-corruption Directorate on Monday, as witness in a corruption case.
Ponta had to wait on the stairs of the directorate in the morning, as there were several people queuing in front of him.
“I was subpoenaed as witness in a file from 2014. I cannot tell you more than that,” he told journalists, who wanted to know more details about the case.
Asked if it is the same file where former PM Sorin Grindeanu was also heard last week, Ponta answered: “I see you know better than me”.
Prosecutors have made no statements yet about this file, but sources told local media that it’s the TelDrum file, where the construction company from Teleorman (alegedly controlled by PSD chairman Liviu Dragnea) is charged with EU funds embezzlement. Prosecutors suspect that TelDrum would have embezzled European funds in September 2015 when it has bought asphalt work equipment. The prejudice would mount to almost RON 4 M.
Ex-PM Ponta confirmed two weeks ago that TelDrum belongs to Liviu Dragnea.
Former Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu was also heard last Wednesday by the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in a corruption file. When entering to the DNA headquarters, Sorin Grindeanu said that he had been summoned as witness.
After the hearing, the former premier said that he is not allowed to say anything about the file.
“I am witness… I can’t tell you… There are issues I can talk about, others I cannot. I don’t want to and I can’t not offer you details about the file. I believe I was plain in my statements, I have no problem, I am witness,” Grindeanu said after the three-hour hearings.
19 September 2017
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