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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
In Romania, on 21 September prosecutors from the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) carried out searches at the house of anti-Western politician and former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu in the town of Mogoșoaia, Ilfov County. Law enforcement stopped the politician while he was driving a car, and after the investigative actions at his home he is to be taken to DIICOT headquarters for questioning. The case concerns the creation of an organized criminal group and fraud with particularly serious consequences. The total amount of losses to the victim exceeds 1,1 million euros.
Digi24 reports the searches citing sources in the judiciary and a DIICOT statement. According to the investigation, in September 2021 three people — two Romanian citizens and an Italian citizen — allegedly formed an organized group that operated under Georgescu’s leadership.
The investigation holds that the scheme’s participants presented themselves as wealthy businessmen and executives of foreign companies who could supposedly provide large loans to entrepreneurs. To obtain financing they demanded financial guarantees from potential borrowers. One of the victims, according to the investigation, was to receive a loan of 6 million euros. He was persuaded to transfer more than 1 million euros as a guarantee, and later was allegedly offered to increase the loan amount to 15 million euros on the condition of additional collateral, after which he transferred another 100 thousand euros.
DIICOT noted that five searches have so far been carried out in Bucharest, Mogoșoaia, Ciolpani, and Buftea. Georgescu was stopped by law enforcement in Otopeni, and after the search of his home he is to be taken to the agency’s headquarters for questioning.
The politician denied any involvement in the scheme
Călin Georgescu gained wide attention after an unexpected victory in the first round of the presidential election at the end of 2024, the results of which were later annulled by Romania’s Constitutional Court amid suspicions of interference and illegal campaign financing. The politician is known for his anti-Western and pro-Putin rhetoric, which had previously drawn the attention of law enforcement and the country’s intelligence services.
The new criminal case is not directly related to the electoral scandal, but it increases pressure on the politician at a time when Romanian authorities are trying to demonstrate resolve in countering suspicious financial and political schemes ahead of possible future election contests.
Earlier, Informator reported that a Russian citizen was detained in Romania on suspicion of preparing sabotage on the country’s territory — the man had been photographing NATO military facilities, communication centers, and critical infrastructure since February 2026 at the assignment of a handler from Russia. We also reported that former Rahiv mayor Viktor Medvid was extradited from Romania after nearly three years on the international wanted list, and the Zakarpattia investigative judge set his bail at about 333 thousand hryvnias.
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