Călin Georgescu faces second hearing at Bucharest Court of Appeal in alleged coup attempt case
Former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu is required to appear on Monday at the Bucharest Court of Appeal, where substantive trial proceedings begin in the case charging him with complicity in an alleged attempted coup.
Georgescu faces the CAB judges in the Potra case
Călin Georgescu, the former presidential candidate in the 2024 elections, must appear on Monday at the Bucharest Court of Appeal (CAB) for the second hearing in the case in which he is being tried for complicity in an attempted coup and the communication of false information on a continuous basis, according to Gândul.
His appearance is required under the judicial supervision obligations imposed by judge Vlad Andriescu of the Bucharest Court, after Georgescu had been detained by DIICOT and subsequently released under judicial supervision. At the first hearing, Georgescu did not appear, with his legal team believing the session would be adjourned.
What comes next in the courtroom
The preliminary chamber phase has concluded: the Court of Appeal validated the indictment, the manner of obtaining evidence, and rejected all requests and exceptions raised by the defence, a decision subsequently upheld by the supreme court.
At Monday's hearing, the CAB judges may proceed to substantive trial, beginning with the reading of the referral to trial. The court will ask each defendant — including Georgescu — whether they consider themselves guilty and whether they opt for the simplified procedure, which could bring a substantial reduction in sentence, or for the full procedure.
In the case of the full procedure, the court hears defendants who wish to make statements, re-administers all evidence to investigators and the defence, may admit or reject new evidence, and finally deliberates on the case. During the investigation, Georgescu exercised his right to silence, according to investigators.
The "intellectual author" of the plan — prosecutors' theory
Georgescu was referred to trial at the end of September 2025, along with 20 other persons, including Horațiu Potra and his son, Dorian, both brought back to the country after their capture in Dubai. Investigators from the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice (PICCJ) describe the former candidate as the intellectual author of the entire plan.
"The specific nature of the conduct that characterises the behaviour of defendant Călin Georgescu is not a coincidental one, but crystallises the thesis that he is the intellectual author of the entire plan to seize the levers of power through violent means, having influence also over Horațiu Potra, who carried out his instructions faithfully and precisely, with members of the group awaiting the signal outlined by the candidate through social networks, as Horațiu Potra transmitted them to the relevant electronic messaging groups DRC and RALF," according to case documents.
According to the same indictment, Georgescu and Potra devised a plan whereby the latter, together with persons with military training from his social circle, was to trigger violent subversive actions in Bucharest on 8 December 2024, in the context of protests, with the aim of changing the constitutional order or preventing the exercise of state power.
The evening of 7 December and false information
Prosecutors emphasise that on the evening of 7 December 2024, Georgescu appeared in prime time on a television station and transmitted false information, claiming that Romania was to enter into war in order to delay Donald Trump's inauguration as president of the United States.
This public appearance "was intended to provoke collective indignation, to stimulate popular revolt and to create a climate of general fear", which would have allowed Potra to implement the plan to violently hijack the protest. According to evidence in the case file, Georgescu would have been aware of Potra's intentions regarding the generation of armed violence in Bucharest and would have actively worked to escalate social tensions, by alarming the population and calling supporters to protest — a protest which ultimately did not take place.
The former candidate's public statements "were not aimed merely at distorting reality, but at misleading the public and guiding public opinion, with the aim of feeding false perceptions", according to the case file. Investigators note that Georgescu enjoyed notoriety and the support of a considerable portion of the population, such that his involvement "had a significant psychological impact".
The charges against other defendants
Horațiu Potra is referred to trial for attempted actions against the constitutional order, violation of the weapons and ammunition regime, violation of the explosives regime, illegal operations with pyrotechnic articles and public incitement. His son, Dorian Potra, is facing charges for attempted actions against the constitutional order, the same charge applying to another relative of Potra included in the case file.
Source: Gândul