Romania's pro-Russian ex-presidential candidate investigated for fraud, media reports
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Romania's former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu has been detained by law enforcement authorities in a 1.1 million euro ($1.3 million) fraud case, Romanian news outlet Digi24 reported on Sept. 21.
Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) on Sept. 21 announced it had uncovered a criminal group led by a 64-year-old Romanian citizen, set up to defraud businesspeople by promising access to financing from foreign financial institutions.
Local media identified the 64-year-old ringleader as Georgescu. The former presidential candidate was reportedly taken into custody, and searches are being carried out at five addresses in Mogosoaia, Ciolpani, Buftea, and Bucharest.
Georgescu became an unexpected frontrunner in the 2024 presidential vote while running on an ultranationalist, pro-Russian platform. Romania's constitutional court later annulled the result and ordered a rerun after Romanian intelligence identified a Russian-backed social media campaign to prop up Georgescu.
DIICOT prosecutors said that three suspects — two Romanians aged 64 and 47 and a 56-year-old Italian — set up a fraud scheme in September 2021 to obtain illegal financial gain.
The ringleader instructed the two other suspects to pose as "successful businessmen running foreign companies" who offered large sums of money to people seeking to develop business in Romania in exchange for financial deposits as guarantees, prosecutors said.
The suspects allegedly convinced one victim to transfer 1 million euros ($1.15 million) to them by promising a 6-million-euro ($6.89 million) loan. The victim sent another 100,000 euros ($115,000) euros after being offered an increase in the loan to 15 million euros ($17.22 million).
Georgescu already faces multiple criminal charges, including for undermining constitutional order and promoting xenophobic and extremist ideologies.
Digi24 reported that several dozen of his supporters have gathered at DIICOT's headquarters, where Georgescu is to be taken after the searches. George Simion, head of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party, issued a protest on his social media page, saying, "Any of us can be next. Stop the abuse!"
