Victor Ponta

Romania's former prime minister, Victor Ponta, is returning to the front lines of the country's political scene after being acquitted of corruption charges at the beginning of May. His new faction, Pro Romania, has also started recruiting prominent Social Democrat MPs, much to the concern of the ruling party leadership.

Recent Romanian Supreme Court rulings that acquitted several high-ranking politicians in some of the country's most notorious graft cases risk damaging prosecutors' credibility - at a time when they are battling political moves to limit their independence, analysts warn.

Romania's Supreme Court on Thursday acquitted former Social Democrat Prime Minister Victor Ponta of corruption in one of the country's most high-profile graft trials and after postponing a ruling five times. The ruling can be appealed.

Bucharest, March 25 /Agerpres / - Romania needs a national strategy for 5G communications, and we hope to come up in autumn with this document, which, in the end, has to be approved under a government decision, Chairman of the National Communications Management and Regulatory Authority (ANCOM) Sorin Grindeanu tells AGERPRES in an interview.

Thousands of members of Romania's ruling party, the Social Democrats, are to gather on Saturday in Bucharest for their annual congress.

Former head of Romania's Intelligence Service (SRI) George Maior confirmed in a testimony on Tuesday before Parliament's SRI Oversight Committee the parties that took place at the SRI headquarters of Romania's National Day, the SRI Day, birthdays, including Victor Ponta, Liviu Dragnea, Laura Codruta Kovesi, Livia Stanciu, says committee chairman Claudiu Manda.

Former Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Thursday received Serbian citizenship, the daily Blic reported.

Ponta currently serves as chairman of Romanian Parliament's Committee on European Affairs. The newspaper said it received confirmation from the Serbian government that he will also hold Serbia's passport.

Romania's Supreme Court in January is due to deal with an unusual case involving a sheepfold built in 2007 next to the military base in Deveselu, southern Romania, which hosts a US Army anti-missile shield.

Romania's National Anti-Corruption Directorate, DNA, summoned Deputy Prime Minister Sevil Shhaideh for a hearing on Friday to inform her that she is a suspect in a graft case.

Shhaideh, who also heads the Ministry of Regional Development, told journalists she is not at liberty to disclose more information because the investigation is underway.

Romania's ruling Social Democrat Party, the PSD, is due to name a new Prime Minister by Monday after it voted the former Prime Minister out of office on Wednesday.