国际英语新闻:Romanian PM refuses to resign as requested by president

BUCHAREST, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta refused to resign on Friday, as requested by President Klaus Iohannis, stressing that only the parliament can dismiss him.

The president had asked the prime minister to resign, after the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) prosecutors opened a criminal investigation against him.

"I respect his public position, but I was appointed by the parliament and only the parliament can dismiss me!" Ponta wrote on his Facebook page, after meeting the president, stressing that "I think the observance of constitutional principles is vital for our society, and under no circumstances can I accept a DNA prosecutor is above the parliament, the government and the citizens of this country!"

The prosecutors on Friday morning opened a criminal investigation against Ponta, ordering investigation on forgery, continued complicity to tax evasion and money laundering in a corruption case involving the legal counselling for two energy companies, allegedly perpetrated by Ponta when he was a lawyer.

Prosecutors would have found evidence against Ponta, in the searches conducted in this April at the law firm of Ponta's longtime friend Dan Sova, a Social Democrat Senator, the official Agerpres news agency cited judicial sources as reporting on Friday, adding that this is about documents relating to cooperation between the two offices.

Local media often referred to the privileged relationship between Ponta and Sova. They went through college together, and later Ponta took Sova in as a cabinet minister, party spokesman and member of his presidential campaign last November.

Sova has been prosecuted since last August for complicity to abuse of office, after his private legal practice clenched three legal assistance contracts with Turceni and Rovinari complexes that caused national budget losses of 800 thousand euros (888 thousand U.S. dollars).

Ponta has previously presented proof of his lack of involvement in the case he is cited for, including official statements from public institutions stating he had no connection whatsoever with the cases brought against Sova.

In the middle of March, he also answered on a television interview on the suspicions in the public space regarding his part in Sova's case, denying all connection with the case and with the Turceni-Rovinari contracts.

"Everybody, all the institutions of the state have checked and conformed that in 2007 I had nothing to do with the Turceni and Rovinari contracts which belonged to the Dan Sova law firm and lawyer," Ponta said at that time.

Ponta, 42, Social Democrat's leader, has been prime minister since May, 2012, soon after the center-right government was toppled in a no-confidence motion on April 27.