Romania Detains Pro-Russian Georgescu in Fraud Probe

Romanian investigators took pro-Russian former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu in for questioning on Monday, Sept. 21, as prosecutors searched five properties in an organized crime investigation involving an alleged €1.1 million fraud. Georgescu was stopped in traffic and taken to his home in Mogoșoaia so he could be present during the search, judicial sources told News.ro.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. He was subsequently taken to the headquarters of Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, known as DIICOT, for questioning. Romanian authorities had not announced his formal arrest or any preventive measure against him at the time of publication. Five properties searched DIICOT prosecutors and officers from the Romanian Police’s Criminal Investigations Directorate executed five search warrants in Bucharest and the nearby communities of Mogoșoaia, Ciolpani and Buftea. The investigation concerns the suspected formation of an organized criminal group and continuous fraud with particularly serious consequences. According to DIICOT’s statement cited by AGERPRES, investigators are examining the activities of three people: two Romanian citizens aged 64 and 47 and a 56-year-old Italian citizen. Prosecutors did not name the suspects in their public statement. News.ro and the Romanian public broadcaster TVR identified Georgescu as one of the people targeted by the investigation. The alleged group was created in September 2021 and operated primarily in Romania, but also in the United Kingdom, prosecutors said. It was allegedly led by the 64-year-old Romanian citizen. Other Topics of Interest Russia Responsible for 89% of Sexual Violence Cases Russian forces and officials committed 89% of documented sexual violence cases against civilians and POWs during the war, a UN report found. Victim allegedly lost more than €1.1 million Investigators allege that members of the group presented themselves as successful businesspeople and managers of foreign companies with access to large amounts of money. They allegedly approached Romanian entrepreneurs seeking financing and offered to arrange business loans from foreign financial institutions. Before receiving the promised loans, however, the applicants were required to provide cash guarantees. “The evidence gathered so far showed” that the suspects misled a victim about obtaining financing from a foreign bank, DIICOT said. According to prosecutors, the group initially promised the victim a loan of €6 million in exchange for a guarantee payment exceeding €1 million. The suspects later allegedly offered to increase the loan to €15 million if the victim paid an additional guarantee of €100,000. The financing was never provided, while the victim suffered total losses of more than €1.1 million, DIICOT said. Hearings in the case were taking place at DIICOT’s central headquarters. Georgescu and his representatives had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication. Separate trial over alleged coup plot The fraud investigation is separate from the national security case in which Georgescu and 21 other defendants, including former mercenary Horațiu Potra, are already standing trial. Romanian prosecutors previously accused Georgescu of complicity in attempted actions against the constitutional order and repeatedly communicating false information. Investigators allege that he conspired with Potra and members of his paramilitary network to organize violent unrest after Romania’s 2024 presidential election was annulled. The first hearing in that trial was postponed on Sept. 9 because lawyers representing several defendants were unable to attend. The next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 28. Georgescu has denied the accusations against him and described the proceedings as politically motivated. The far-right politician unexpectedly finished first in the opening round of Romania’s November 2024 presidential election after a campaign driven largely by social media. Romania’s Constitutional Court later annulled the vote following intelligence reports alleging Russian interference in Georgescu’s favor. Moscow denied interfering, while Georgescu rejected allegations that he had received Russian support. He was barred from contesting the rerun election in May 2025, which was ultimately won by pro-European candidate Nicușor Dan. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.