Romanian prosecutors have indicted Prime Minister Victor Ponta as part of a wide-ranging corruption investigation and seized his assets, increasing pressure on him to resign.
Prosecutors on Monday confirmed Ponta has been indicted on charges including tax evasion, money laundering, conflict of interest and making false statements while he was working as a lawyer in 2007 and 2008. He denies wrongdoing.
Prosecutors also said in a statement on Monday that they temporarily froze Ponta's personal assets which include shares in a house, an apartment and several bank accounts. He sold two apartments in May for 150,000 ($A224,433.31) and also sold a car.
Ponta, who took office in 2012, is the first sitting Romania prime minister to be indicted and have his assets seized.
He said in a televised interview that he had already handed over one of his apartments to prosecutors and said he would not resign.
"It would be a betrayal," he said on the Antena 3 channel. "If I resigned, I would give the power back to those who destroyed Romania," he said, referring to the centre-right opposition who governed until 2012.
Prosecutors said the probe, which has no time limit, is ongoing and the prosecutor in charge of the case will decide whether the case is sent to trial.
The accusations against Ponta include forging expense claims from the law firm of political ally Dan Sova. Prosecutors say he pretended he worked as a lawyer to justify getting money from the law firm. The funds were used to pay for two luxury apartments and the use of an SUV.
Prosecutors say that after Ponta became prime minister in May 2012, he appointed Sova a minister three times.
Ponta, 42, who is recovering from a knee operation, was questioned at the offices of anti-corruption prosecutors on Monday morning. He walked up the steps on crutches into the building and he emerged about 30 minutes later, but declined to respond to prosecutors' questions, citing his right to remain silent.
Ponta has immunity for some of the charges, including the conflict of interest accusation. But he doesn't have immunity for the tax evasion and money laundering charges. He can't be arrested without Parliament's approval, the prosecutors' office said.
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