{"id":6798,"date":"2025-09-17T07:00:35","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T07:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=6798"},"modified":"2025-09-17T07:00:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T07:00:35","slug":"case-involving-ex-presidential-candidate-calin-georgescu-is-most-serious-in-35-years-prosecutor-general-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=6798","title":{"rendered":"Case involving ex-presidential candidate C\u0103lin Georgescu is \u201cmost serious in 35 years,\u201d prosecutor general says"},"content":{"rendered":"

Romania\u2019s prosecutor general Alex Floren\u021ba<\/strong> said Tuesday, September 16, that the case against former presidential candidate C\u0103lin Georgescu and alleged paramilitary leader Hora\u021biu Potra represents \u201cthe most serious case monitored in the last 35 years,\u201d Hotnews.ro<\/a> reported. He also warned once again that Romania has been under sustained hybrid warfare aimed at destabilizing society and manipulating public opinion.<\/p>\n

C\u0103lin Georgescu, who surprisingly emerged as the winner of the first round of last year\u2019s presidential elections,\u00a0was sent to trial<\/a>\u00a0on Tuesday on charges of complicity in an attempted coup, alongside Hora\u021biu Potra and 20 other people. He also allegedly benefited from hybrid warfare operations coordinated by Russia during the country\u2019s 2024 presidential election crisis.<\/p>\n

Speaking in a live interview with news channel Antena 3 CNN, prosecutor general Alex Floren\u021ba described hybrid war as \u201cinsidious\u201d compared with traditional conflict because its goal is to influence populations rather than engage in open battle. He said extremist groups and coordinated online disinformation campaigns had been deployed to create disorder, with Romania becoming a key target in recent years.<\/p>\n

Floren\u021ba also stated that prosecutors found \u201cbeyond any doubt\u201d evidence of Hora\u021biu Potra\u2019s links to Russia, including Russian-language correspondence, multiple trips to Moscow, and meetings with the Russian ambassador in Bucharest. He said Potra prepared r\u00e9sum\u00e9s in Russian for submission to authorities there, while intelligence recovered from raids confirmed direct diplomatic contacts.<\/p>\n

The prosecutor general also said Romania is cooperating with counterparts in several Eastern European countries where similar hybrid warfare patterns have been identified.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the intermediary websites used in Romania were also found in other ecosystems targeting populations in the same way,\u201d Floren\u021ba stated, as quoted by Hotnews.ro.<\/p>\n

The Romanian authorities also traced a vast disinformation network that spread propaganda in support of C\u01celin Georgescu\u2019s 2024 presidential bid, which was later annulled by the Constitutional Court<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to Alex Floren\u021ba, more than 2,000 Facebook pages and at least one viral hashtag network amplified pro-Georgescu messaging. On TikTok, he said, some 20,000 automated accounts were activated just one day before the first round of voting, generating more than two million comments that were algorithmically spread across Romania\u2019s online space. One hashtag alone, \u201cCur\u0103\u0163enie General\u0103\/General Cleaning,\u201d amassed over 156 million views.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors charged C\u01celin Georgescu with complicity in attempted actions against the constitutional order and the continuous dissemination of false information. Hora\u021biu Potra and 20 of his mercenaries were indicted for allegedly plotting violent unrest in Bucharest following the 2024 annulled election, illegal arms and explosives activities, and public incitement.<\/p>\n

Investigators allege that Potra\u2019s paramilitary group tried to get to Bucharest<\/a> in seven vehicles to spark mass protests and violent clashes with state authorities after the election annulment. Several members of Potra\u2019s family, including his son Dorian, have fled the country and are now subject to international warrants. Meanwhile, according to Floren\u021ba, there are indications that mercenary Hora\u021biu Potra is seeking political asylum in the Russian Federation, Digi24<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

irina.marica@romania-insider.com<\/p>\n

(Photo source:\u00a0Inquam Photos \/\u00a0George\u00a0C\u0103lin<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Romania\u2019s prosecutor general Alex Floren\u021ba said Tuesday, September 16, that the case against former presidential candidate C\u0103lin Georgescu and alleged paramilitary leader Hora\u021biu Potra represents \u201cthe most serious case monitored in the last 35 years,\u201d Hotnews.ro reported. He also warned once again that Romania has been under sustained hybrid warfare aimed at destabilizing society and […]<\/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-6798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6798","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=6798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6798\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}