US bars Romanian ruling party strongman over corruption

Liviu Dragnea, a former leader of the Social Democratic Party whose ambitions to be prime minister were thwarted by scandal, will be refused entry into the United States as will his two children, the State Department said.

"Today's action sends a strong signal that the United States is committed to fighting corruption and supporting the rule of law in Romania," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

Dragnea was convicted last year of using his influence to procure fake public jobs for two women who were working for his party.

The moustachioed leader, reputed to be a behind-the-scenes power player, began a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence in May.