A Romanian court has ordered former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu to be transferred from police custody to house arrest for 30 days as investigations into suspected fraud continue.
Prosecutors allege that Georgescu and two other suspects persuaded a Romanian businessman to hand over €1.1 million by claiming they could help him obtain a credit facility of up to €15 million from a foreign financial institution.
Georgescu, who denies any wrongdoing, had challenged an earlier court decision made in late September to keep him in police custody pending investigations. Tuesday’s ruling allows him to serve the remainder of the 30-day period under house arrest, although the decision can still be appealed.
The case has attracted public attention, with hundreds of Georgescu’s supporters taking to the streets to protest against the investigation. George Simion, leader of the hard-right Alliance for the Uniting Romanians party, said the latest ruling indicated that the protesters’ concerns were being heard.
Georgescu, who emerged as a leading contender in Romania’s 2024 presidential election before the vote was cancelled, remains barred from running again. He is also facing two separate criminal cases.
One case involves accusations of attempting to undermine national security following the annulment of the 2024 election, while the other concerns allegations of promoting Romania’s fascist leaders from the 1930s, an offence under Romanian law. He has denied wrongdoing in both cases.
Romania cancelled the December 2024 presidential election amid suspicions of Russian interference intended to benefit Georgescu, who has been a vocal critic of NATO, the European Union leadership and Western military support for Ukraine. Russia denied interfering in the election.
The country subsequently held a fresh presidential election in May 2025, which was won by pro-European centrist Nicusor Dan.
