A Bucharest appeals court has ordered former Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu to remain in pre-trial detention for 30 days in connection with a fraud investigation involving an alleged €1.1 million loss.

The decision was issued on September 29 after prosecutors challenged an earlier ruling that had placed Georgescu under judicial control. The appeals court accepted the prosecutors’ request and ordered his detention. The ruling is final.

Fraud Investigation

Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, known as DIICOT, is investigating allegations involving Georgescu and businessman Ionel Rusen.

According to prosecutors, a businessman was allegedly persuaded to provide approximately €1.1 million in connection with a proposed financial arrangement involving a much larger credit facility. The promised financing did not materialize, according to the investigation.

Georgescu denies the allegations against him.

Court Changes Earlier Decision

Georgescu had initially been placed under judicial control after a lower court rejected the prosecutors’ request for 30-day pre-trial detention.

Prosecutors appealed that decision. On September 29, the Bucharest Court of Appeal reconsidered the case and ordered both Georgescu and Rusen into pre-trial detention for 30 days.

The court proceedings required a three-judge panel after two judges initially failed to reach the same conclusion on the appropriate preventive measure. The third judge ultimately joined the panel and the detention order was approved.

Police Take Georgescu Into Custody

Following the court’s decision, police officers took Georgescu from his residence in Mogoșoaia and transferred him to Bucharest’s central detention facility.

Several supporters gathered outside his residence and the detention facility as police carried out the transfer. Romanian authorities subsequently confirmed that the court’s decision required him to remain in custody for 30 days.

Case Adds to Political Attention

The detention has attracted significant attention because Georgescu was a leading candidate in Romania’s 2024 presidential election before the election was annulled.

He has also faced separate legal proceedings related to allegations surrounding the post-election period and his public activities. Those proceedings are separate from the fraud investigation that resulted in the latest detention order.

The latest court action therefore concerns a specific criminal investigation and should not be treated as a determination of guilt. Georgescu remains entitled to the presumption of innocence while the legal proceedings continue.

What Happens Next

The 30-day detention order allows investigators to continue examining the allegations and evidence in the case.

The investigation involves financial transactions, alleged promises of credit and the relationship between the defendants and the businessman who reported the alleged loss.

The case remains under judicial consideration, while Romanian authorities continue their broader efforts to resolve several politically sensitive and legally significant cases involving the country’s recent presidential election period.