Calin Georgescu under judicial control, banned from traveling abroad

Prosecutors with the General Prosecutor's Office put former presidential frontrunner Calin Georgescu under judicial control for 60 days, placing him also under multiple bans, including leaving the country without the approval of the judicial authorities, and posting on social media content of a legionary, fascist, anti-Semitic, racist or xenophobic nature.Georgescu is required to not leave the country; to inform the authorities in case he changes residence; not to create/use online social media accounts for posting legionary, fascist, anti-Semitic, racist or xenophobic content; to report to the police body designated by the Ilfov Police Inspectorate, which will establish the monitoring program; to report to the criminal investigation body and the committing magistrate for directions hearings whenever summoned; to not possess or carry a weapon. Would-be ultranationalist presidential candidate Calin Georgescu has been officially charged by the Prosecutor General's Office with six counts, including actions against the constitutional order, initiating or establishing a fascist, racist or xenophobic organization, and promoting the cult of persons guilty of genocide.According to a release from the Prosecutor's Office, the case prosecutor from the Criminal Investigation Section of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice ordered on Wednesday the initiation of criminal proceedings against Georgescu for allegedly committing the following crimes: attempted incitement against the constitutional order, as provided for in Art. 47 of the Criminal Code, corroborated with Art. 32 of the Criminal Code, and Art. 397 paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code; communication of false information, provided for by Art. 404 of the Criminal Code; recurrent false statements, as provided for by Art. 326 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code with the application of Art. 35 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code (as regards the financing sources of his campaign and wealth statements); initiation or establishment of an organization with a fascist, racist or xenophobic character, adherence to or support for such a group, provided for by Art. 3 paragraph 1 of Emergency Ordinance No. 31/2002; public promotion of the cult of persons guilty of genocide and war crimes, as well as the act of promoting in public fascist, legionary, racist or xenophobic ideas, conceptions or doctrines, provided for by Art. 5 of OUG 31/2002; initiating or establishing an organization with an anti-Semitic character, joining or supporting such an organization, as provided for by Art. 6 paragraph 1 of Law 157/2018.The prosecutors conducted on Wednesday morning 47 searches in the counties of Sibiu, Mures, Timis, Ilfov and Cluj, in a case related to the financing of the former front-runner's electoral campaign, the establishment of an organization with a fascist, racist or xenophobic character, as well as the promotion of the cult of persons guilty of genocide.   Police found a veritable arsenal - pistols, submachine guns, grenades, grenade launchers, and a lot of ammunition - in a house inhabited by mercenary Horatiu Potra, according to judicial sources.In a video posted by the Romanian Police, investigators show the weapons found at Potra's house."The collection is a little more complete now. We have here grenade launchers for weapons, we have grenades, drum magazine, where the ammunition is. We also have submachine guns here. The pistols are all lethal. We've got a little machine gun, another submachine gun, another grenade gun, another automatic grenade launcher, a cartridge for a grenade launcher. Each bag was prepared for each fighter. We also have cartridges for the grenade launchers," explains one of the investigators.A few hours earlier, the police released video footage of the search, with weapons and ammunition hidden in a secret room. Also found in a safe hidden under the floor of the house were stacks of cash totaling more than a million euros.Calin Georgescu is a suspect in the case, being heard at the General Prosecutor's Office.   American billionaire Elon Musk reacted after Calin Georgescu was taken by police to the Prosecutor General's Office on Wednesday, erroneously saying that the former candidate in the Romanian presidential elections was "arrested"."They just arrested the person who won the most votes in the Romanian presidential elections," Musk wrote on his social media platform X, reiterating false claims that Georgescu was arrested. "This is messed up," he added in his post, also taken over by Reuters.