Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate has recommended that former Prime Minister Victor Ponta be jailed for forgery, complicity in tax evasion and money laundering.
The prosecutor’s request came in the final hearing of the Rovinari-Turceni criminal case in which Ponta is accused of falsifying documents under private signature, accessory to tax evasion, and money laundering, while working as a legal representative of the “Ponta Victor-Viorel” Individual Law Firm.
In addition, the prosecutor recommended that former Social Democrat senator Dan Sova be sentenced for accessory to abuse of office, falsification of documents under private signature, tax evasion and money laundering.
The prosecutors say that from October 2007 to December 2008, Victor Ponta, through his own law firm, received over 181,000 lei (39,000 euros) from Dan Sova’s “Sova and Associates” law firm, for joint activities, which the prosecutors allege, were never carried out.
“Thus, on 30 August 2007, between SCA “Sova and Associates” represented by Sova, and the “Ponta Victor-Viorel” Individual Lawyer Firm a professional cooperation agreement was set up aiming to the collaboration of the two parties in the criminal files, of business criminal law, as well as in other cases when necessary,” the DNA release says.
The prosecutors allege that while the agreement was in place Ponta sent 17 invoices worth 181,439.98 lei for work that was never performed.
The prosecutors consider that these contracts would never have been agreed upon had had there not been the perception that Sova was benefiting from Victor Ponta’s support.
