An appeals court has ordered Calin Georgescu held for 30 days pending a fraud investigation after DIICOT executed searches at five locations on Sept. 21 and initially detained him for 24 hours. Prosecutors allege a 2021 scheme defrauded a Buzau County businessman of €1.1 million with promises of access to up to €15 million in foreign credit, and say investigators seized jamming devices, data storage and suspected fake IDs. The move follows the annulment of the first-round 2024 election results amid accusations of Russian interference and an expanded probe into alleged campaign funding abuses and false declarations.
Appeals Court Orders 30-Day Pretrial Detention For Calin Georgescu In Fraud Probe
Former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu raises his hands as he is escorted handcuffed by police officers outside the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, DIICOT, In Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Sept.21, 2026. (AP Photo/Alexandru Dobre)
An appeals court in Romania on Tuesday ordered former politician Calin Georgescu—who topped the first round of Romania's disrupted 2024 presidential vote—to be held in pretrial detention for 30 days on allegations of fraud and participating in an organized criminal group.
Romania's anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, said its investigators executed searches at five locations on Sept. 21, including Georgescu's residence. He was initially held for 24 hours and has publicly denied any wrongdoing.
Allegations and Evidence
Prosecutors allege that Georgescu and two associates formed a group in 2021 that defrauded a businessman from Buzau County of €1.1 million by promising access to foreign credit lines of up to €15 million. During the raids, authorities reported seizing signal-jamming devices, data-storage equipment and identity documents they suspected to be forged. DIICOT said the alleged network operated in both Romania and the United Kingdom.
Legal Sequence
The appeals court reversed a lower court decision that had rejected prosecutors' request for pretrial detention, granting investigators a 30-day hold while the inquiry continues. Prosecutors have also expanded their probe to include alleged abuses related to campaign funding, support for extremist groups and false declarations about campaign finances and assets.
Political Context
Georgescu emerged as a polarizing figure after unexpectedly leading the first round of the 2024 presidential contest. Following accusations that a coordinated campaign from Russia had boosted his candidacy, Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the first-round results. Georgescu denounced the annulment as an "officialized coup" and has denied illegal behavior. Before the canceled vote, he publicly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and questioned Ukraine's statehood—statements that sparked controversy, although Georgescu insisted he was not pro-Russian. Moscow has denied interfering in Romania's election.
Georgescu was barred from the election rerun, which took place in May and was won by Nicusor Dan. The pretrial detention order does not constitute a conviction; it is intended to preserve the integrity of the investigation while prosecutors gather evidence.
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