Călin Georgescu arrested in Romania for fraud and organised crime
Former Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu was arrested by police and the DIICOT, under investigation for defrauding a businessman of more than one million euros.
Former Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu arrested in Bucharest
According to es.euronews.com, Călin Georgescu was detained on Monday in Romania by officers from the Police and the Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). Prosecutors are investigating him for fraud and the formation of an organised crime group.
Prosecutors accuse Georgescu and two other individuals of deceiving a Romanian businessman by leading him to believe he could access up to 15 million euros in foreign bank financing in exchange for cash. "Under these circumstances, the perpetrators convinced the victim to transfer more than one million euros," DIICOT stated in a press release. The agency added that the group also managed to get the victim to transfer an additional sum of 100,000 euros.
Members of the organisation allegedly presented themselves as "prosperous businessmen and executives of foreign companies who supposedly had large sums of money to lend to victims who intended to expand their businesses in Romania, provided they submitted financial guarantees," according to DIICOT.
While Georgescu was being questioned at the agency's headquarters, several of his followers gathered outside the building carrying flags and religious icons and chanting "freedom for Călin," according to reporting by Euronews Romania.
This is not the only legal front the politician faces. He already has two other cases open: one for alleged actions against the country's constitutional order and another in which he is accused of promoting fascist ideology.
Georgescu came to the forefront of politics in 2024 by winning the first round of the Romanian presidential elections. Romania's Constitutional Court later annulled those elections citing claims of electoral interference. In an interview with the BBC prior to the second round in December that year, the nationalist and pro-Russian politician stated that if elected, he would end all support for Ukraine, and denied that Russian influence had benefited his campaign.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)