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Ex-Romanian PM in court amid protests

November 6, 2015

Romania's outgoing PM Victor Ponta has appeared in court in an on-going trial over alleged tax evasion and money laundering. The hearing comes amid anti-government protests after a blaze left 30 dead in Bucharest.

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Rumänien Victor Ponta
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D. Mihailescu

Former Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta appeared Friday before the High Court for Cassation and Justice.

Ponta, who resigned along with his government on Wednesday, faces corruption charges, including money-laundering, conflict of interest, tax evasion and making false statements.

Anti-corruption prosecutors formally indicted Ponta in September, although the prosecutors' office said he could retain his position throughout the trial.

While Romanian lawmakers typically enjoy immunity under the nation's laws, Ponta will not, since the crimes he is accused of committing took place before he assumed office in 2012.

Upon entering the court, Ponta declined to comment, saying he was now "a private citizen."

According to prosecutors, the former premier forged expense claims amounting to at least 55,000 euros ($63,000) from political ally Dan Sova's law firm, where he pretended to work as a lawyer to justify receiving payments.

'Down with parliament'

Meanwhile, Romanian demonstrators took to the streets on Thursday for the third consecutive day of mass anti-government protests.

The protesters - who shouted "Down with Parliament" and "We want a free Romania" - want officials to be held accountable for the blaze that erupted in a Bucharest nightclub on October 31, leaving more than 30 dead and over 180 injured, most in a critical condition.

"In a country where parliament refuses to lift the immunity of a prime minister accused of corruption…we have to ask ourselves how it was possible that the Ponta government survived for so long," said commentator Iulian Anghel in the Romanian periodical Ziarul Financiar, according to AFP news agency.

Hans G. Klemm, the US ambassador to Romania, praised the protests, saying they were "both dynamic and very moving."

"We applaud the nonviolent exercise of freedom of speech and assembly, and encourage all Romanians to stay engaged in the civic process," said Klemm.

The ambassador's statements come as Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said he was reaching out to civic organizations and NGOs to address the country's political climate.

ls/rc (AP, AFP, Reuters)