Bucharest Tribunal has sentenced former speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Valeriu Zgonea to three years in prison in a influence peddling file. The ruling is not final and can be challenged to the Court of Appeal. Judges have also decided to freeze Zgonea’s assets up to RON 62,143.
Zgonea was indicted for influence peddling after he would have interceded to appoint a secretary of state in January 2018. During the last court ruling, he pleaded not guilty and asked to be acquitted.
According to the anti-corruption prosecutors, during July 1, 2012-April 2013, when he was Chamber speaker and vice-president of the Social Democrat Party, Valeriu Zgonea has accepted the promise made by a former county councilman at the Buzau County council during June 2004-December 2013, businessman Daniel Dobrica, to receive undue benefits for himself, in exchange of Zgonea’s intervention upon some public servants whom he allegedly had any influence upon, in order to appoint one of the councilman’s relative in an important public position.
A former PSD member and leader, Valeriu Zgonea was ousted from the party in April 2016 over a row on the party chairman at that time, Liviu Dragnea.