Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors asked on May 15 for a 90-month (seven and a half year) sentence for the ruling coalition’s leader Liviu Dragnea in the final hearings of a trial that will have significant political implications.  

The case launched by the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) against Dragnea is not straightforward and the sentence is not predictable. Should Dragnea be found guilty and sent to jail, a power struggle within the PSD is anticipated, while the position of the junior ruling Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (Alde) led by Calin Popescu Tariceanu, typically seen as an ally of Dragnea, will weaken, although no major change in the structure of the ruling coalition is foreseen. 

On the other hand, if the country’s highest court finds that the accusations against Dragnea are not backed up by evidence, the DNA would face a significant loss of credibility after the court recently found former prime minister Victor Ponta, Dragnea’s predecessor as head of the PSD, not guilty. The court will pronounce the final sentence on May 29.

DNA prosecutors claim Dragnea, when serving as head of a local administration, exerted his influence and persuaded the head of a public institution (DGASPC) to hire two secretaries who were actually working for the PSD while being paid from public funds. 

Dragnea stressed during the trial that he was in no way involved in the activity of DGASPC. However, DGASPC head Floarea Alesu admitted she hired the two secretaries because "she was afraid of Dragnea". The two secretaries also admitted they worked at the ruling party's office. 

The government's local representatives (who are politically appointed) still hold major power over public institutions despite the legal guarantees given to public servants. Alesu did not testify that Dragnea had directly asked her to hire the two secretaries, but it is plausible she would have lost her position should she have refused to carry out an instruction apparently coming from political decision makers.

Prosecutors also asked for an 18-month sentence for Dragnea for alleged forgery. Sentences in Romania are typically not added up, but judges decide whether to increase the most severe one. 

Prosecutors also want a prior two-year suspended sentence to be enforced, arguing that the deeds in the current case are similar to those related to the first sentence. Dragnea received a two-year suspended sentence for having pressed mayors to bring more voters to polling stations in a referendum aimed at ousting former president Traian Basescu.