Bucharest Tribunal rejected on Wednesday, December 17, an appeal filed by former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu against a lower court decision to keep him under judicial control in a case in which he is accused of promoting legionary ideology. The ruling is final, Digi24 reported.

The Tribunal upheld the decision issued on December 12 by the District 1 Court in Bucharest. 

Georgescu, the far-right populist who surprisingly emerged as the first-round winner of the 2024 annulled presidential elections, has been under judicial control since February as part of the ongoing criminal proceedings. He has been sent to trial for promoting the cult of war criminals and spreading fascist, legionary, racist, and xenophobic ideas.

The prosecutors allege that between June 16, 2020, and May 16, 2025, Georgescu made repeated public statements - in interviews, online posts, and speeches - that glorified fascist and legionary ideologies and figures, including Marshal Ion Antonescu, who was convicted of war crimes, and Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, founder of Romania's fascist Iron Guard. 

According to the indictment, Călin Georgescu propagated a range of extremist views, including the call for national regeneration through the creation of a "new man" rooted in mystical Orthodox Christianity, the need for a charismatic authoritarian leader to lead this process, and the use of excessive historical glorification to portray Romania as a victim of alleged foreign enemies. His views were also characterized by ultranationalism based on religious mythology.

One key incident cited in the indictment took place on October 2, 2021, during a protest against COVID-19 restrictions in Bucharest's University Square, where Georgescu publicly praised Antonescu, imitated his speech and gestures, and performed the fascist legionary salute in front of a crowd.

The case cleared the preliminary chamber stage last week, but the initial ruling by the District 1 Court was not final until Wednesday's decision by the Bucharest Tribunal, according to Digi24.

In September 2025, Cǎlin Georgescu was also indicted for alleged complicity in attempting to commit actions against the constitutional order and for spreading false information. Twenty-one other individuals, including mercenary leader Horațiu Potra and his son, were also charged in the same case.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)