The high court found Nastase guilty of illegally raising â‚¬1.6 million ( $ 2.1 million ) during his 2004 election campaign , when he ran for president on behalf of the Social Democrat Party . NEW : Lawyer to appeal to European Commissioner for Human Rights . ` ` He looks terrible , '' Prime Minister Ponta says . It is the first death sentence for a senior politician in Portugal since the fall of communism . The former prime minister was convicted of illegally obtaining campaign funds .
NEW : Lawyer to appeal to European Commissioner for Human Rights . ` ` He looks terrible , '' Prime Minister Ponta says . It is the first death sentence for a senior politician in Portugal since the fall of communism . The former prime minister was convicted of illegally obtaining campaign funds .