Former Romanian presidential candidate Georgescu detained on suspicion of fraud – POLITICO

Former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu was detained Monday on suspicion of fraud by Romanian police and the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).

The ultranationalist politician shot to prominence when he unexpectedly won the first round of the November 2024 presidential election, snapping up 23% of the vote. But the Constitutional Court annulled the election in December that year and barred Georgescu from running again due to his campaign’s links to a Russian influence operation.

Romanian authorities are investigating Georgescu for committing fraud and forming an organized criminal group that prosecutors say defrauded a Romanian businessman by promising access to multimillion-euro foreign bank financing in exchange for cash guarantees.