The Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, has requested the Prime Minister to resign from the government. Ponta refuses to resign: I was invested by the Parliament and only the Parliament can dismiss me. 

The press release of DNA mentions the following: ”The prosecutors of the Section for combating corruption have ordered the start of criminal investigations against Ponta Victor-Viorel, lawyer at the time of the acts committed, legal representative of the Individual Lawyer Practice ”Ponta Victor-Viorel”, currently Prime Minister of Romania, with regard to the following offenses:

- forgery of documents by private signature (17 offenses)

- complicity in tax evasion in continuous form

- money laundering”

The accusations are related to another investigation of DNA that targets Dan Sova, currently a member of the Parliament. The prosecutors mention in their release that there exist data and evidence from which results a reasonable suspicion that Victor Ponta has received money from the Law Practice of Dan Sova based on a legal convention, without however performing any real activities.The release mentions that Victor Ponta and Dan Sova have agreed to create legal activity reports to justify the payments.

The same communication of DNA mentions the necessity to begin criminal investigations against Victor Ponta with regard to three other conflict of interests offenses, related to his position of Prime Minister. The release states that Victor Ponta was in a conflict of interest, according to the Romanian law, when he appointed Dan Sova, in three separate occasions, within the government. As Victor Ponta is also a member of the Romanian Parliament, DNA will request the Parliament to approve the beginning of a criminal investigation against the Prime Minister for conflict of interests.