{"id":11919,"date":"2026-09-09T12:03:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T12:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=11919"},"modified":"2026-09-09T12:03:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T12:03:06","slug":"trial-of-former-presidential-candidate-calin-georgescu-mercenary-leader-horatiu-potra-postponed-at-first-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=11919","title":{"rendered":"Trial of former presidential candidate C\u0103lin Georgescu, mercenary leader Hora\u021biu Potra postponed at first hearing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The trial of former presidential candidate C\u0103lin Georgescu, former mercenary leader Hora\u021biu Potra, and 20 other defendants began with a postponement at the Bucharest Court of Appeal, Hotnews.ro<\/a> reported. Georgescu did not attend the first hearing and requested a delay through his lawyers, which the court granted, setting the next hearing for September 28.<\/p>\n

Potra and several other defendants appeared before the court for the opening hearing.<\/p>\n

C\u01celin Georgescu was indicted<\/a> on charges of complicity in an attempted action against the constitutional order and repeatedly communicating false information. Hora\u021biu Potra, in turn, faces charges of attempting actions against the constitutional order and violating legislation governing weapons, ammunition, and explosive materials.<\/p>\n

Potra\u2019s son and nephew were also indicted for allegedly attempting actions against the constitutional order.<\/p>\n

The Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled on April 2 that the trial could begin. Both the defendants and the Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office challenged the decision, but the High Court of Cassation and Justice definitively rejected their preliminary chamber appeals<\/a> on August 6.<\/p>\n

According to prosecutors, C\u01celin Georgescu and Hora\u021biu Potra met in Ciolpani, Ilfov county, on December 7, 2024, one day after the Constitutional Court annulled the presidential election<\/a>. Investigators alleged that they discussed a plan under which Potra and associates with military training would create chaos in Bucharest.<\/p>\n

The prosecutors reportedly identified Georgescu as the alleged \u201cintellectual author\u201d of the plan.<\/p>\n

The strategy allegedly involved \u201cviolent actions of a subversive nature\u201d during protests planned for December 8, with the aim of transforming peaceful demonstrations into violent unrest and changing the constitutional order or obstructing the exercise of state power, investigators said.<\/p>\n

Potra subsequently allegedly organized a paramilitary group that headed toward Bucharest in seven vehicles. Its members were stopped before reaching the capital<\/a>. During police checks on the night of December 7-8, officers said they found knives, daggers, telescopic batons, pepper spray, brass knuckles, axes, firearms, and dangerous pyrotechnic materials inside the vehicles.<\/p>\n

Hora\u021biu Potra is being tried under judicial supervision after the High Court replaced his house arrest<\/a> with the more lenient measure on September 3. He was detained in Dubai in September 2025 and returned to Romania with his son and nephew on November 20, 2025.<\/p>\n

C\u01celin Georgescu, a former far-right and Russia-friendly presidential candidate, surprisingly emerged as the first-round winner of the 2024 elections. He submitted his candidacy for the repeat elections of May 2025 but\u00a0was barred from running again<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Georgescu is also facing trial in a separate case <\/a>for promoting fascist ideology and pro-legionary propaganda, accusations that prosecutors say include the glorification of Marshal Ion Antonescu and ultranationalist populism.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The trial of former presidential candidate C\u0103lin Georgescu, former mercenary leader Hora\u021biu Potra, and 20 other defendants began with a postponement at the Bucharest Court of Appeal, Hotnews.ro reported. Georgescu did not attend the first hearing and requested a delay through his lawyers, which the court granted, setting the next hearing for September 28. Potra […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11919\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}