Romanian authorities on Monday levelled new charges against far-right former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu, who was placed in 24-hour custody. Prosecutors spent nine hours searching his home, after which the suspect was taken in for questioning.
According to the indictment, Georgescu, along with two other suspects, misappropriated €1.1 million, which, it is stated, he used to fund his campaign. The fraud, according to the investigation, involved the defendants and their associates promising a businessman in 2021 that they would arrange for a loan from a foreign bank. In return, they asked the businessman for a guarantee of €1.1 million. The businessman, according to the Romanian Anti-Organised Crime and Terrorism Directorate (DIICOT), paid the guarantee, but the money was never returned. The investigation began in 2024, following a report by the victim.
Georgescu is known as a pro-Kremlin politician, and attracted public attention with his unexpected victory in the Romanian presidential election in 2024, where he received the most votes. That election was annulled by the Constitutional Court due to the opaque financing of his campaign, and the vote was held again in 2025.
In addition to fraud, Georgescu is to be tried for an attempted coup d'état, which, according to the investigation, he was planning with a mercenary previously active in Africa.
Despite the new charges, Georgescu continues to enjoy the support of the far-right AUR party, the second strongest political force in parliament.
