Anticorruption Directorate: Senator Sova under criminal investigation for complicity to abuse of office

The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) informs that prosecutors ordered the launching of a criminal investigation on senator Dan Sova for three counts of complicity to abuse of office, allegedly perpetrated while he was the legal representative of the Sova & Associates law firm, and resulting in obtaining undue benefits for himself or for others.

A criminal investigation also begun on Dumitru Cristea, then general manager and authorizing officer of the Turceni Energy Complex, for five counts of abuse of office, resulting in undue benefits for himself or for others; one of them was a continued offence.

Former Transport Minister Dan Sova said Wednesday on leaving the headquarters of the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) that he was summoned as a suspect in a case involving contracts with the energy complexes Turceni and Rovinari.

He said the charge is complicity to abuse of office.

"Yes, I am a suspect in this case. I can assure you, as I've just been to the hearings, that Victor Ponta's name was not mentioned at all. There is no connection between Victor Ponta and this file," Sova said when asked about a possible involvement of the Premier in this case.

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) Senator pointed out this file regards the contracts involving Rovinari and Turceni.

"The prosecutors informed us about some irregularities. They are connected to three of the contracts with Rovinari and Turceni. ... Thanks to these contracts, we managed to bail out Rovinari and Turceni from bankruptcy in the trials with ICM (the company Closing Preservation Mines) and a debt between Turceni and Electrica regarding a series of payments," Sova argued.

When asked if he managed to get these contracts...