The leader of Romania’s ruling Social Democrats Liviu Dragnea began a three-and-a-half year prison sentence on Monday after the Supreme Court upheld a graft conviction one day after his party lost a European election to centrist groupings.Dragnea spent more than a decade as county council president of southern Teleorman county - one of Romania’s poorest areas - where he started amassing power.

Later, as regional development minister, he created a fund doling out cash with little oversight to county councils and mayors, helping shore up his support.