Romania's ruling party backs PM at executive meeting: sources

Reuters
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of Defense Check Hagel awaits the Prime Minister of Romania, Victor Ponta, (not pictured) to the Pentagon during an honor cordon in Washington February 11, 2015. REUTERS/Gary Cameron

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's ruling Social Democrat party (PSD) threw its backing behind Prime Minister Victor Ponta at a meeting of its executive committee on Monday, two sources who attended the meeting told Reuters. Ponta faces trial after being indicted on charges of forgery, money-laundering and being an accessory to tax evasion last week. But so far he has the backing of his party and its allies to stay in office. "The political decision of the PSD was that we back this government," Liviu Dragnea, the interim head of the Social Democrats, said after the meeting. (Reporting by Radu-Sorin Marinas; Editing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Angus MacSwan)