BUCHAREST, Romania, Sept. 17 (UPI) — Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta was indicted on corruption charges Thursday marking the first time the country’s incumbent head of state will face trial.
Ponta, 42, denies the charges of forgery to justify illegal income, money laundering and tax fraud complicity, some of which date back to alleged crimes from before he took office in 2012.
Prosecutors said Thursday court proceedings were set to begin, though some of Ponta’s assets were frozen in July as part of the investigation. While in office he has faced accusations of plagiarism and in November 2014 lost in Romania’s presidential race to Klaus Iohannis, who has called for Ponta’s resignation.
“Ponta’s legal issues are becoming a growing problem for him and the government, and they affect Romania’s image. I hope they’ll seriously analyze the situation and present a solution. Of course my opinion hasn’t changed: the easiest solution would be a resignation,” Iohannis said in a speech in Bucharest.
Ponta maintains his innocence, says the charges are politically motivated, and has retained the support of his Social Democratic Party and other leftist parties.
The case is part of a wide-ranging corruption investigation in the Romanian government in which hundreds of officials have been convicted of fraud.
Four other people involved in Ponta’s case have been indicted and will also be tried.
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