According to DIICOT, Georgescu was detained as part of a case involving the creation of an organized criminal group and fraud with serious consequences. Sources also reported that the politician was taken home to the village of Mogoșoaia near Bucharest so that a search could be carried out in his presence.
In a press release dated September 21, the directorate said searches were being carried out at five addresses. They are taking place in Bucharest, Mogoșoaia, Chitila, and Buftea.
Investigators believe that in September 2021, two Romanians and an Italian created a criminal group to defraud entrepreneurs. DIICOT does not name the suspects, but says the structure is led by a 64-year-old Romanian citizen; Georgescu is also 64.
According to the investigation, the group leader presented two of his accomplices as successful businessmen and executives of foreign companies who allegedly had large sums available to issue loans to entrepreneurs in Romania on the condition that cash collateral be provided. The case materials say that one entrepreneur transferred €1.1 million to them in expectation of a large loan from a foreign bank.
Investigations into Georgescu had previously been opened on other charges, including attempted undermining of the constitutional order, spreading false information, and creating an antisemitic organization. In Romania's November 2024 presidential election, he ran as an independent, finished first in the first round with 23% of the vote, after which the Constitutional Court annulled the results and called a new vote.
The cancellation was based on suspicions of Russian interference in the election. Romanian security services published documents indicating that around 25,000 bot accounts on TikTok may have campaigned in Georgescu's favor, while the politician himself denied any ties to Russia.
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