Romania’s Former Presidential Candidate Călin Georgescu Arrested for 30 Days in €1.1 Million Fraud Case

Former Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu was taken into custody on Tuesday, September 29, after the Bucharest Court of Appeal ordered his pretrial detention for 30 days in a fraud investigation involving an alleged €1.1 million loss. The ruling is final. Businessman Ionel Rusen, who is also under investigation in the case, received the same detention order.

Police collected Georgescu from his home in Mogoșoaia following the ruling. He was escorted outside in handcuffs and taken to Bucharest’s central detention facility, where he arrived on Tuesday evening.

Court Overturns Earlier Decision to Release Georgescu

The appeal court accepted a challenge brought by DIICOT, Romania’s organised crime prosecution agency, against an earlier ruling that had allowed Georgescu and Rusen to remain outside custody under judicial supervision.

Tuesday’s decision followed a disagreement between the two judges initially assigned to hear the appeals. A third judge joined the panel, and the proceedings resumed before the court ordered the arrests, according to reporting by Pro TV. Both the prosecution and the defendants had challenged the earlier ruling, seeking different outcomes.

On September 22, the Bucharest Tribunal had rejected prosecutors’ request for pretrial detention and imposed 60 days of judicial supervision. Georgescu was prohibited from leaving Romania without permission and from contacting people involved in the case, and was required to report periodically to police. DIICOT appealed that decision.

What Prosecutors Allege in the Fraud Investigation

Prosecutors allege that Georgescu and two other suspects persuaded a Romanian businessman to hand over €1.1 million by claiming they could arrange a credit line worth up to €15 million from a foreign financial institution. Georgescu denies wrongdoing.

The investigation concerns allegations of forming an organised criminal group and fraud with particularly serious consequences. Georgescu and Rusen were initially detained for 24 hours on September 21, following searches that included Georgescu’s property in Mogoșoaia.

DIICOT said investigators seized jamming equipment, documents, data storage devices and identity documents suspected of being false. The agency stated that the documents would undergo expert examination. These were investigative findings and suspicions, not established conclusions from a criminal trial.

Detention Order Is Not a Conviction

The 30-day order concerns Georgescu’s custody while the criminal proceedings continue. It does not constitute a conviction or a prison sentence following a finding of guilt. Tuesday’s hearing determined the preventive measure to be applied in the case, rather than whether the allegations had been proven.

Georgescu rose to international prominence during Romania’s subsequently annulled 2024 presidential election. He was barred from the rerun, which Nicușor Dan won in May 2025. The fraud investigation is separate from the other criminal proceedings against the former candidate.