Romania on Wednesday, February 26, indicted far-right politician Calin Georgescu for “false statements” over his financing for last year’s presidential election, where he won the first round but which a court annulled.
The country’s constitutional court in December canceled the elections following allegations of Russian interference and claims of “massive” social media promotion of Georgescu, who shot to prominence virtually overnight. Georgescu has denied any wrongdoing and called the annulment a “formalized coup d’état.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the police stopped Georgescu in his car and escorted him to the prosecutor general’s office for questioning. The charges include making “false statements, in a continuous form… regarding the sources of financing of the electoral campaign and declarations of assets,” prosecutors said in a statement, without naming Georgescu.
A judicial source confirmed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the charges were against Georgescu and that he has been placed under judicial control, meaning he will have to report back regularly.
Other charges are “instigation to actions against the constitutional order, in attempted form,” “communication of false information” and “initiating or constituting a fascist, racist or xenophobic organization, joining or supporting, in any form, such a group.”
Earlier on Wednesday, authorities also searched dozens of premises around the country in their probe into the alleged offenses, according to a statement by the prosecutor’s office.
Responding to the raids, Georgescu said in a post on Facebook he was “fighting this security system that wants us in slavery.” Georgescu’s supporters gathered outside the prosecutor’s office, some holding flags and chanting “traitors” and “liberty.”
The decision by EU and NATO member Romania to annul the vote – rare in the European Union – plunged the eastern European country into crisis, with tens of thousands protesting. A new first round of presidential elections will take place on May 4, with a second on May 18 if no first-round candidate wins more than 50% of the vote.
