Romania extends far-right politician Calin Georgescu's pre-trial detention by 30 days

Romania's Bucharest Court of Appeal has extended the pre-trial detention of far-right politician Calin Georgescu by 30 days, overturning an earlier ruling by a lower court.

That lower court ruling, issued on October 13, had ordered Georgescu to be moved from police custody to house arrest for 30 days while a fraud investigation continued.

The case concerns an alleged fraud of 1.1 million euros, about $1.2 million.

Prosecutors say Georgescu and two other suspects persuaded a Romanian businessman to give them 1.1 million euros by making him believe they could help him secure a credit line of up to 15 million euros, about $16.7 million, from a foreign financial institution.

Georgescu has denied any wrongdoing and has claimed the investigations against him are 'politically motivated'.

On Wednesday, hundreds of Georgescu supporters protested against his investigation, with groups entering the Bucharest court building to demand his release, according to media reports.

George Simion, leader of the hard-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians, said the initial lower court ruling was a sign that protesters were being heard.

Following Wednesday's appeal decision, Georgescu remained in police custody, with his detention now set until November 27.

Georgescu won the most votes in the first round of Romania's presidential election in November 2024, when he was the pro-Russian frontrunner in the race.

The results and the second round were then scrapped following allegations of Russian interference, though Moscow denied interfering in the vote.

Georgescu was subsequently barred from standing again, and pro-European centrist Nicusor Dan ultimately won the rerun presidential election in May 2025.

In a separate case, prosecutors have accused Georgescu of instigating violence after the ballot was annulled, disseminating false information, attempting to disrupt national security and promoting 1930s fascist leaders.

Other far-right politicians have supported Georgescu and vowed to stand by him amid ongoing political uncertainty in the country.

Parliament approved a government proposed by pro-European Luca Niculescu this month, making him prime minister following months of deadlock after the previous coalition collapsed in May.