Niculae will be imprisoned in the Giurgiu Penitentiary.
Billionaire Ioan Niculae was sentenced Thursday by a decision of the Court of Appeal to two years and six months imprisonment in the case file in which he is charged with illegal funding of the 2009 presidential campaign of Mircea Geoană.
In the same case, the President of Brăila County, Gheorghe Bunea-Stancu, was sentenced to serve three years in prison with suspension accused of contributing illegal funds to support Geoana’s campaign.
Gheorghe Teodorescu and Viorel Barac were sentenced to two years and six month imprisonment each in the same case file..
The Court also ordered the seizure of the amount of 641.000 lei from Ioan Niculae.
In the first court, The District 1 Court decided on November 20 , 2013, to acquit businessman Ioan Niculae, the same decision being taken in the case of Gheorghe Bunea, Viorel Bărac and Gheorghe Teodorescu.
The District 1 Court decision has been appealed at the Bucharest Court of Appeal.
According to prosecutors, during 2009, Gheorghe Bunea Stancu used his influence and authority in his capacity of chairman of the PSD Braila County to obtain, by violation of the legal norms in force regulating the political parties funding, the amount of 1 million euro from Ioan Niculae, owner of SC Interagro SA, money meant to be used to fund the presidential elections campaign at the end of 2009, to support the PSD candidate , Mircea Geoană.
According to the agreement, the money had to be given indirectly, in that Ioan Niculae would make payments to service providers for products and service related to the campaign, including to institutions involved in public opinion surveys. In this way, prosecutors anti- corruption prosecutors argue, they tried to conceal the real destination of the money, circumventing the legal provisions on political party financing.
In exchange for the money offered, Ioan Niculae had requested that if the PSD candidate won the elections, he should designated at the leaderships of the Ministry of Economy, of the Trade and Business Environment, and of the two national companies that dealt with the management and distribution of natural gas (Transgaz and Romgaz SA) individuals who would support his interests, prosecutors argued in their indictment.