The head of an NGO with strong ties to state structures, who also ran in Romania's presidential elections this year, has been placed under inquiry by anti-corruption prosecutors (DNA) over alleged lies in his resume, which amounts to fraud, judicial sources told news agency Mediafax.

Alexandru CumpanasuFoto: Facebook - Alexandru Cumpanasu

The sources said Alexandru Cumpanasu has been placed under inquiry for fraud after he appeared to have lied by claiming he had a higher education diploma in a resume used to get a position as expert in a European-funded project. The project was run by a high education institution, the National University of Polical Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA).

Cumpanasu has been leading an association of NGOs which has contracted a wide array of projects involving governmental and public institutions. But a long period of keeping a low profile came to an end this year when he became personally involved in a murder case that shook Romania - the victim of which, a teenager, was a distant relative of his.

He then decided to run in the presidential elections. But his candidacy was seriously affected by a series of revelations about his contracts with the state - and his education as stated in official statements.

In September, before the elections, the SNSPA decided to check the legality of his employment as an expert in a project, which was made despite the position claiming that he had superior education while he had not provided any proper proof of that.