Romanian prosecutors close fraud case against former PM Ponta

FILE PHOTO: Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta looks on during a government meeting, after announcing his resignation, in Bucharest, Romania November 4, 2015. REUTERS/Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanian supreme court prosecutors closed a case against former Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Wednesday, saying the charges of suspected money-laundering and being an accessory to tax evasion did not stand up.

Ponta has repeatedly dismissed the accusations, saying one prosecutor had fabricated the charges. When they were first made by a different prosecuting agency in 2015 he also refused to resign as prime minister, only stepping down after a deadly nightclub fire triggered massive street protests.