Former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu placed in preventive detention as supporters gather outside central jail

On Tuesday, 29 September, former presidential contender Călin Georgescu was placed in preventive detention for 30 days as part of a DIICOT investigation that accuses him of forming an organized criminal group and committing serious, continuous fraud. Police lifted him from his residence and transferred him to the central jail, where a sizable group of his supporters waited. Upon seeing the crowd, Georgescu tried to lift his hand-cuffs, but officers holding his arms stopped the motion.

The protesters responded with chants, attempted to tear down the security fence, and a woman fell to her knees and began to weep. Earlier in the month, Georgescu had been held for 24 hours under the same charges. The episode highlights the tension between law-enforcement actions and his base of followers.