The Bucharest Court of Appeal has ordered the pre-trial detention of former Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu and businessman Ionel Rusen for 30 days. The decision is final.
The court admitted the appeal filed by Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) and rejected the appeals submitted by the two defendants, overturning the decision of the lower court.
The Bucharest Tribunal had previously rejected prosecutors’ request for pre-trial detention and placed both Georgescu and Rusen under judicial supervision for 60 days.
According to Romanian media, police went to Calin Georgescu’s home in Mogosoaia on Tuesday evening to enforce the detention warrant. He is expected to be taken to the Central Arrest Centre in Bucharest.
Following the court’s decision, some of Georgescu’s supporters reportedly left the Bucharest Court of Appeal and headed towards the Central Arrest Centre.
The ruling was delayed after the judges on the initial panel reached different opinions. A special panel was subsequently formed to resolve the disagreement, with a third judge joining the proceedings.
The case concerns allegations of aggravated fraud and the formation of an organized criminal group. Georgescu and Rusen deny the allegations, and they remain presumed innocent unless found guilty by a final court ruling.
DIICOT had previously said the investigation involved allegations that a businessman was defrauded of approximately 1.1 million euros.
The investigation began following a complaint filed with DIICOT by Buzau businessman Razvan Leu, who alleges that he suffered losses of around one million euros.