Romanian court orders 30-day detention for ex-presidential candidate in fraud case

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Romanian court orders 30-day detention for ex-presidential candidate in fraud case
Bucharest court rejects pre-trial detention for Georgescu, places him under judicial control
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Romania’s Bucharest Court of Appeal ordered the 30-day pre-trial detention of former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu on Tuesday, overturning a lower court’s decision to place him under judicial control. The ruling, which is final, also applies to businessman Ionel Rusen in a case where prosecutors allege they defrauded a Buzău County entrepreneur of €1.1 million under the false pretense of securing a €6 million Swiss bank loan .
The decision followed a split among the initial two judges, requiring a third magistrate to break the deadlock. Georgescu was later taken from his Mogoșoaia residence to Bucharest’s Central Police Arrest facility, where supporters gathered, chanting slogans as he arrived .
The anti-organized crime agency DIICOT, which prosecuted the case, had initially requested pre-trial detention after charging Georgescu and Rusen on Sept. 21. The Bucharest Tribunal had initially ruled for judicial control, but the Court of Appeal admitted DIICOT’s appeal and imposed detention .
AUR, the party led by George Simion, issued a statement reaffirming its support for Georgescu, emphasizing the presumption of innocence and condemning any political exploitation of the case. “Pre-trial detention is a procedural measure, not a conviction, and using such a case for score-settling or political pressure would be unacceptable in a democratic state,” the party said .
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