Fenechiu was convicted last July of selling second-hand transformers as new to the Moldovan state-owned company SISEE through various Romanian firms he owned, reports BalkanInsight.
According to Romania-Insider, Fenechiu resigned as minister after the lower court ruled last July. He appealed the verdict, but the Supreme Court rejected that appeal and affirmed the lower court’s sentence.
Fenechiu’s brother, Lucian, was also convicted and received a similar sentence. Neither man is eligible for parole, meaning both must serve jail time.
Several other officials were convicted in the case, which prosecutors say involved contracts worth about €1.7 million (US$2.3 million). The Moldovan company SISEE is asking the court to order the Fenechiu brothers to refund the money.
