Prosecutors say there is evidence Ridzi illegally used funds from the Youth and Sports Ministry’s budget to buy certain electronic appliances worth 100,000 lei (EUR1=RON4.1137), whose purchase was banned in a state budget revision of April 2009.
As Ridzi was a member of the Romanian Parliament at the time the alleged offence was committed, prosecutors require Parliament approval before starting criminal proceedings against the former minister.
The Romanian National Anticorruption Department on February 9 called on Kovesi to ask the Parliament to approve the start of criminal proceedings against Ridzi in the new file.
Moreover, the Justice Ministry was required to ask the Parliament to initiate procedures to search data stocked in Ridzi’s computer, for further evidence in a previous corruption file investigating Ridzi and for which the Parliament had approved investigations.