Although the prime minister has some right to immunity because he is a lawmaker, the
charges against him stem from a time when he was not in office, which means he cannot use his
immunity to avoid the courts.
The indictment comes at a delicate time for his government, having already been wounded
by a shock presidential election defeat last November and facing a general election in 2016.
Hundreds of top officials have been convicted of fraud in recent years, as the country's anticorruption
agency continues its drive to rid Romania of corruption.
Many of those targeted claim that the case against them is politically motivated.