Liberal local leader sentenced to prison with suspension in the 2014 presidential elections file

Leader of the Caraș-Severin County Council, Liberal Sorin Frunzăverde has been sentenced to two years in prison with suspension on Friday for influence peddling used to obtain an undue benefit in the file on the 2014 presidential elections. Yet, the ruling of the Caraș-Severin Tribunal is not final.

In the same file, the vice-president of the Caraș-Severin County Council, Ionesie Ghiorghioni has been also sentenced to three years and four months in prison. The vice-president will also have to pay a RON 27,000 criminal fine for forgery.

According to the prosecutors, during the period between the two rounds of 2014 presidential elections, “Sorin Frunzăverde used his influence as county council president and as National Liberal Party vice-president upon the county council vice-president Ionesie Ghiorghioni (also PNL member) to obtain more undue benefits, meaning, to get a higher number of votes in the presidential runoffs and implicitly to consolidate their position in the party but also on administrative level (…)”.

Following today’s ruling, Frunzăverde was suspended from the party, according to the National Liberal Party’s statute, PNL spokesperson Ionut Stroe told Agerpres.

On the other hand, the Liberal first vice-president Ludovic Orban informed that Frunzăverde wouldn’t be able to run for PNL at the 2016 local or parliamentary elections. He said the party would name another candidate to replace the Caraș-Severin leader.