(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Sebastian Ghita, 37, a wealthy businessman and lawmaker, on Wednesday was banned from leaving his hometown and from carrying out his duties as an MP as he is investigated for influence peddling, tax evasion, money laundering, complicity with embezzlement of EU funds and bribing voters.
Sebastian Ghita, Romanian businessman and MP / Photo: Nasul.tv
Ghita, who is a close aide to Prime Minister Victor Ponta, is member of the ruling Social Democratic Party, PSD.
Prosecutors alleged that between 2000-2015 Ghita illegally obtained some 130 million lei ( 28.5 million euro) from influence peddling and from public funds.
The money was allegedly laundered and used for illegal purposes, including bribing voters at the parliamentary elections in 2012 and at the presidential election in 2014.
Prosecutor say Ghita paid some 350,000 euro to Moldovans with Romanian citizenship to vote for Ponta in the November presidential race, which he nevertheless lost.
Ghita has denied the charges and accused prosecutors of abuse.
Ponta, also under a corruption probe, is currently on sick leave in Turkey recovering from a knee operation. An interim Prime Minister has been appointed to run the government in his absence.
In February, Ghita was also investigated in a case of embezzling European funds involving Iulian Hertanu, the brother-in-law of Ponta.
Romania is still considered one of the most corrupt states in the European Union, which it joined in 2007.
However, under pressure from the EU, the courts have upped the fight against corruption in recent years. One former prime minister and nine other nine former ministers were jailed in the last couple of years.
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