Bucharest Court orders house arrest for Călin Georgescu; DIICOT to appeal
Bucharest Court has decided to replace pre-trial detention with house arrest for Călin Georgescu. DIICOT plans to challenge the decision at the Bucharest Court of Appeal.
Georgescu placed under house arrest following Bucharest Court decision — DIICOT to appeal
Bucharest Court has decided to place Călin Georgescu under house arrest, according to wall-street.ro, which cites sources from Digi24. The decision is not final: DIICOT intends to file an appeal, which means the former presidential candidate will not be released immediately. The Bucharest Court of Appeal is set to rule in this case.
Georgescu's request was heard by judge Vlad Andriescu — the same judge who, on 22 September, had rejected DIICOT's request for pre-trial detention of the former candidate. Georgescu was brought from the Central Detention Facility to court for the hearing, after which he was taken to DIICOT headquarters, where digital searches continue on electronic devices seized from the family villa in Mogoşoaia.
Allegations of fraud involving 1.1 million euros
Georgescu has been in pre-trial detention since 29 September in a case in which he is accused of defrauding a businessman of 1.1 million euros. According to case documents, businessman Răzvan Leu was proposed to become involved in a business deal involving precious metals transactions, for which a credit line of 6 million euros was allegedly necessary.
Georgescu allegedly recommended that Leu contact Ionel Rusen, who in turn put him in touch with an Italian national, Massimiliano Arena, presented as a representative of a Swiss bank. To obtain the credit, Leu was asked to pay a guarantee of one million euros, of which 100,000 euros were to finance Georgescu's presidential campaign.
The victim was subsequently persuaded to transfer a further 100,000 euros, with the promise that the loan could be increased to 15 million euros. The credit was never granted, and the businessman from Buzău requested the return of the entire 1.1 million euros guarantee — money he has not recovered.
Source: Google News RO — Crime (ro)