A recent audit revealed that over $80,000 in public subsidies allocated too RomaniaS Pro romania party were diverted to satisfy a court-ordered debt stemming from a 2021 lawsuit. The dispute, initiated by a promotional materials company over an unpaid invoice for campaign materials, ultimately led to a judgment exceeding $1.25 million against the party led by Victor Ponta. Now,a Court of Accounts report details how funds intended for party operations were instead legally seized by a bailiff,raising questions about financial management and accountability within Pro Romania.
Over $80,000 in public funds earmarked for the Pro Romania political party were diverted to satisfy a court-ordered debt, according to a recent report. Specifically, $42,500 (1.648.444 lei) of the $59,700 (2.937.073 lei) in subsidies allocated between January and September 2024 were directly transferred to a bailiff’s office to cover a legal judgment against the party.
The Financial Strain on Pro Romania
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The party’s financial difficulties stem from a civil lawsuit lost to a private company, to whom Pro Romania owes approximately $1 million. Unable to meet its financial obligations, the case escalated to enforcement proceedings.
The party, led by Victor Ponta, was sued in February 2021 by AMMA Print, which sought payment for promotional materials – specifically, branded fleece jackets and rain ponchos – that the company claimed were produced and delivered based on an email order.
The core of the dispute was the absence of a signed contract; the agreement existed solely as an email order that the company honored.
Pro Romania representatives contested the claim, arguing that no formal contract, agreement, or mutual understanding justified the invoice and obligation to pay.
However, the Bucharest Tribunal rejected the party’s defense, stating that, absent conflicting regulations, a supply contract can be established through a simple agreement between the parties. The court ultimately ordered Pro Romania to pay 5.527.164 lei (approximately $1.25 million), including VAT and court costs.
The decision was upheld on appeal by the Bucharest Court of Appeal, and on October 31, 2023, the High Court of Cassation and Justice definitively dismissed the party’s appeal, resolving the dispute in favor of the commercial entity.
Full Enforcement of the Judgment
While the legal proceedings were underway, the claimant obtained permission to enforce the judgment against Pro Romania through a bailiff, with the court authorizing enforcement “through all means provided by law” until the debt and associated costs were fully recovered.
The litigation spanned over two and a half years, from February 11, 2021, when the action was filed, to October 31, 2023, when the final ruling was issued, significantly impacting the party’s finances and subsequent public subsidies.
Public Funds Diverted to Bailiff
“The payment obligation was not recorded in the accounting records by the Pro Romania party, which claimed it did not have supporting documents to prove the existence of a request, order, or contract between the parties to justify the claimant’s payment claim,” the Court of Accounts stated in its audit report finalized on January 15, 2026.
Due to the Supreme Court’s final judgment ordering enforcement “through all means provided by law,” the bailiff placed a levy on Pro Romania’s subsidies, effectively intercepting funds allocated by the state. Specifically, monthly allocations from the Electoral Authority were retained and directed toward settling the court-ordered debt. This process saw the AEP acting as an intermediary, legally obligated to transfer funds directly to the bailiff, bypassing the party’s control.
As a result of this legal battle, in 2024, Pro Romania received only 1.539.034,37 lei (approximately $333,000) in total subsidies from the state budget, through the budget of the Permanent Electoral Authority, with a significant portion of those funds allocated to salaries, according to the Court of Accounts report.
How Pro Romania Spent its Remaining Funds
According to the Court of Accounts report, in 2024, the largest expense for Pro Romania, funded solely by state subsidies, was salaries, totaling 219.976 lei (approximately $47,500).
A substantial sum was also allocated to legal fees, bailiffs, and experts, amounting to 144.375 lei (approximately $31,200). Another 41.869,79 lei (approximately $9,050) went towards investments in movable and immovable property necessary for the party’s operations, 22.965 lei (approximately $5,000) for office rent, 19.820 lei (approximately $4,300) for car repairs, 8.135 lei (approximately $1,760) for fuel, a mere 4.524 lei (approximately $980) for domestic travel, and 11.791 lei (approximately $2,550) for protocol.
The Permanent Electoral Authority did not conduct a full audit of Pro Romania’s income and expenses for 2024, but rather a control action following a complaint, according to the auditors’ report. Inspectors focused on the expenses incurred in 2024 by Pro Romania, financed from public funds allocated by the state budget through the Permanent Electoral Authority in the form of subsidies.
Nearly $150,000 in Subsidies Unaccounted For
Auditors identified irregularities in how Pro Romania recorded expenses from state subsidies in 2024, though these were not considered widespread. The audit report states that 693.274,77 lei (approximately $150,000) from subsidies granted by the Electoral Authority was transferred directly to a bailiff’s account but was not properly clarified or justified in the party’s accounting records.
Without supporting documentation, this amount was temporarily recorded in an accounting account designated for “pending clarification.” Party representatives claimed the funds represented the bailiff’s fees, expenses of third parties involved in the enforcement proceedings, and inflation adjustments to the debt, but auditors found these explanations were not supported by documentation.
Unclear Accounting Raises Financial Concerns
The report emphasizes that maintaining this “unclarified” sum beyond the three-month legal deadline stipulated by applicable accounting regulations violates current norms. The Court of Accounts warns that these expenses may not be considered eligible for public subsidies.
According to law, the responsibility for clarifying the situation rests with the leadership of Pro Romania, even though the funds were directly transferred by the AEP to the bailiff from the subsidies to which the party was entitled.
“In the context presented, there is a risk that some amounts from the state budget subsidy may be spent unjustifiably (if the amounts cannot be proven with legally prepared documents) and the political formation is responsible for taking clarification measures and applying appropriate measures within the legal statute of limitations,” the Court of Accounts report states regarding the “ambiguities” discovered in Pro Romania’s accounting.
Pro Romania was founded in 2018 by former Prime Minister Victor Ponta, along with several parliamentarians and former members of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).
Pro Romania entered Parliament by attracting deputies and senators already in office, managing to form parliamentary groups, especially in the Chamber of Deputies. At the European Parliament elections in 2019, the party obtained over 6% of the vote, and Victor Ponta became a Member of the European Parliament.
At the parliamentary elections in 2020, Pro Romania failed to exceed the 5% electoral threshold, losing the direct representation obtained through popular vote. Subsequently, some of the elected officials and leaders of the party left the formation or joined other parties, including the PSD.
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