Prosecutors from the General Prosecutor’s Office request the High Court of Cassation and Justice to approve the preventive arrest of 18 defendants detained in the case in which Calin Georgescu was also indicted.

Additionally, the prosecutors are asking for arrest warrants to be issued in absentia for mercenary Horatiu Potra, his son Dorian Potra, and another family member, Alexandru Potra.

Horatiu Potra left Romania before his house was searched.

„Following hearings conducted on February 26 and 27, 2025, the case prosecutor from the Criminal Prosecution Section of the General Prosecutor’s Office decided today to initiate criminal proceedings against 21 defendants, and 18 of them were detained for committing the following offenses: attempted actions against the constitutional order, failure to comply with the regime of weapons and ammunition, any operations with pyrotechnic items conducted without authorisation, public incitement. Furthermore, the prosecutor made a proposal for preventive arrest for 30 days for the 18 detained defendants, as well as for three defendants in absentia. The proposal for preventive arrest will be submitted to the judge for rights and liberties at the High Court of Cassation and Justice,” the General Prosecutor’s Office announced late Thursday night.

On Wednesday morning, investigators carried out 47 searches in the counties of Sibiu, Mures, Timis, Ilfov and Cluj, in a case related to the financing of an electoral campaign, the formation of an organisation with fascist, racist, or xenophobic character, as well as promoting the cult of individuals guilty of committing genocide crimes.

In a building inhabited by mercenary Horatiu Potra and his son, weapons and ammunition were found hidden in a secret room.

Additionally, in a safe hidden under the house’s floor, stacks of money and gold bars were found.

The police also discovered over 40 magazines (for lethal weapons of various calibers), 51 grenades (military, offensive/defensive), 44 launcher projectiles, 21 lethal pistols (most of them 9x19mm calibre), 7 lethal submachine guns/rifles (7.62 mm and 7.65 mm calibres), over 20 boxes/packages/bags with lethal ammunition, 6 gun parts, 4 explosives, two grenade launchers, a detonating fuse, and a sniper scope.

Also discovered and seized were more than 25 kilograms of gold (gold bars), over 3.3 million dollars, over 700,000 lei, 43,000 euros, 13,000 dirhams, and 21,000 Serbian dinars.

Calin Georgescu was placed under judicial control by the prosecutors of the General Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday for a period of 60 days, with several restrictions, including not being allowed to leave the country without judicial authorisation and being prohibited from posting on social media content of a legionary, fascist, antisemitic, racist, or xenophobic nature.

Georgescu is under criminal investigation for committing six offenses: instigating actions against the constitutional order, attempted; communicating false information; repeated false declarations; initiating or forming a fascist, racist, or xenophobic organisation, joining or supporting such a group in any form; publicly promoting the cult of individuals convicted of committing crimes of genocide against humanity and war crimes; and promoting, in public, fascist, legionary, racist, or xenophobic ideas, concepts, or doctrines; initiating or forming an anti-Semitic organisation, joining or supporting such an organisation in any form.

AGERPRES