Călin Georgescu faces charges for fascist activities and election fraud
UPDATE: Călin Georgescu, former candidate in the Romanian presidential elections, has officially been charged by the General Prosecutor’s Office with six offenses, including actions against the constitutional order; initiating or establishing a fascist, racist, or xenophobic organization; and promoting the cult of individuals guilty of committing crimes of genocide.
According to a press release from the Prosecutor’s Office, the investigating prosecutor from the Criminal Prosecution Section of the High Court of Cassation and Justice ordered, on Wednesday, the initiation of criminal proceedings against Georgescu for the following offenses:
- Incitement to actions against the constitutional order, in an attempted form, as provided by Article 47 of the Penal Code in relation to Article 32 and Article 397(2).
- Dissemination of false information, as provided by Article 404 of the Penal Code.
- Continuous false declarations, as provided by Article 326(1) with the application of Article 35(1) (regarding the sources of funding for the electoral campaign and asset declarations).
- Initiation or establishment of a fascist, racist, or xenophobic organization, as well as joining or supporting such a group, as stipulated in Article 3(1) of Emergency Ordinance 31/2002.
- Promoting in public the cult of individuals guilty of committing crimes of genocide against humanity and war crimes, as well as promoting in public fascist, legionary, racist, or xenophobic ideas, concepts, or doctrines, as provided by Article 5 of Emergency Ordinance 31/2002.
- Initiating or establishing an antisemitic organization, joining or supporting such an organization, as provided by Article 6(1) of Law 157/2018.
On Wednesday morning, investigators carried out 47 searches across the counties of Sibiu, Mureș, Timiș, Ilfov, and Cluj, in a case related to the financing of the electoral campaign, the establishment of a fascist, racist, or xenophobic organization, and the promotion of the cult of individuals guilty of committing genocide crimes.
Subsequently, Călin Georgescu was detained by the police from traffic and taken to the Prosecutor’s Office for questioning, as reported by Agerpres.
Marin Burcea, one of Georgescu’s bodyguards, is also being questioned.
During searches at mercenary Horațiu Potra’s residence, investigators found an arsenal of war weapons: pistols, submachine guns, grenades, grenade launchers, and large quantities of ammunition.
"Now, the collection has expanded a bit. We have grenade launchers for firearms, grenades, drum magazines, this one contains ammunition. We also have submachine guns. All the pistols are lethal. There’s also a machine gun, another submachine gun, another grenade pistol, and a cartridge for a launcher. Each bag was prepared for each fighter. We also have cartridges for the weapon launcher," explained one of the investigators in a recording made by the police.
Additionally, in a safe hidden under the house’s floor, bundles of money were found, totaling over one million euros.
INITIAL REPORT: Călin Georgescu, the independent candidate in Romania’s annulled presidential elections, was taken into custody on Wednesday morning by prosecutors from the General Prosecutor’s Office. According to official sources cited by G4Media, prosecutors executed an arrest warrant, and the pro-Russian candidate was taken from traffic and brought to the Prosecutor’s Office for questioning. At the same time, Romanian authorities carried out nearly 50 searches in five counties—Sibiu, Mureș, Timiș, Ilfov, and Cluj—as part of an investigation into the annulment of last December’s presidential elections.
Prosecutors are investigating serious allegations, including actions against the constitutional order, violations of arms and ammunition laws, public incitement, and suspicions of illegal campaign financing.
The investigation also targets a group led by Horațiu Potra, the leader of the mercenaries who provided security for Georgescu. Potra was detained in December 2024 after authorities intercepted several vehicles suspected of transporting individuals intending to incite violence in connection with the annulment of the election. Inside those vehicles, investigators discovered numerous firearms and large sums of money.
Following the Tuesday searches, Călin Georgescu reacted on social media, accusing “horrible abuses” committed by the “communist-Bolshevik system.” “They are trying to fabricate evidence to justify the theft of the election and to block my future candidacy for the presidency. I will not give up. I’m waiting for you on Saturday in Victory Square!” Georgescu wrote on Facebook, referring to the large rally expected to take place over the weekend in Bucharest.
It is worth noting that the first round of Romania’s presidential election was annulled last December by the Constitutional Court.
Constitutional judges later explained that the electoral process was flawed, with the "free vote" being violated due to voters being misinformed, affecting the transparency and fairness of the election and disregarding legal regulations regarding its funding.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
