Anti-graft prosecutors place whole wealth of governing party leader Liviu Dragnea under precautionary attachment in major graft case

Prosecutors at Romania’s National Anti-Corruption Department (DNA) have placed a precautionary attachment on all assets owned by Liviu Dragnea, House speaker and the leader of the governing Social Democratic Party (PSD), in a major corruption case. The DNA eyes to recover a prejudice of RON 127,5 million (EUR27,4 million) in the Tel Drum case.

This does not mean that Dragnea’s wealth amounts to RON127,5 million, but the prejudice claimed by the DNA in the case, in which Dragnea is investigated under charges of having built an organised crime group to use fraud to get money from contracts funded with EU money.

HotNews.ro journalist Dan Tapalaga comments that the move is expected to intensify the attempts of the governing coalition to subdue the judiciary politically, in a battle that the PSD has suggested may go as far as to impeach the president, in case he would stay in their way. Dan Tapalaga mentions that the value of assets placed under precautionary attachment is higher than the sum the DNA wants to see recovered and amounts to some EUR30 million – including a hotel, Dragnea’s home, owned land, accounts, his salary as House speakers and money he gets from renting properties.​