BUCHAREST - The leader of Romania's ruling Social Democrats Liviu Dragnea began a three-and-a-half year prison sentence on Monday after the Supreme Court upheld a graft conviction one day after his party lost a European election to centrist groupings.
With Romania's most powerful man jailed, the party will be led in the interim by his protege Prime Minister Viorica Dancila. Denying the charges, he appealed against the initial verdict last year and was free until Monday's final ruling. Dragnea, the first PSD leader to come from outside the capital, was already barred from being prime minister by a previous conviction in a vote rigging case.
Dragnea, who is also under investigation in a separate case on suspicion of forming a criminal group to siphon off cash from state projects, has repeatedly said he is the victim of a"parallel state" of politically-motivated prosecutors and secret services.