The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claims that the decision of the Prosecutor’s Office to press charges against Călin Georgescu is supported by the EU leadership, which aims to defeat anti-system leaders from various countries.
SVR states, in a statement sent on Tuesday and reported by TASS, that Brussels is waging a war against European leaders who openly support US President Donald Trump.
This is exactly what the defendant Călin Georgescu is saying, accusing a politically motivated case, and now he enjoys the open support of Moscow.
It is worth mentioning that Georgescu is indicted for six offenses, including incitement to actions against the constitutional order.
According to information obtained by prosecutors, there are clear links between the financing of Georgescu's campaign and Russia.
Immediate reactions came from Marcel Ciolacu (very vehement) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which maintains that the statements of the Russian services are ridiculous and completely inappropriate.
Official Position of Support from the Russians
According to SVR, "the European bureaucracy has declared war on anti-system leaders who are open supporters of the American President Donald Trump and refuse to follow the instructions of the liberal elites governing the European Union."
SVR claims that "Brussels is extremely concerned that the new American leader could weaken the globalist superstructure of Europe and, for this purpose, relies on conservative leaders oriented nationally, such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, and the candidate in the Romanian presidential elections, Călin Georgescu."
The leadership of the European Union is, according to SVR, clearly behind the decision to bring charges against the candidate for the presidency of Romania, Călin Georgescu.
"The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who played a key role in declaring the results of the first round of the presidential elections in Romania invalid, has asked the authorities in Bucharest to prevent Georgescu from participating in the May election.
She warned that if this representative of anti-system forces continues his electoral campaign, the European Union will restrict Romania's access to its funds," the SVR statement adds.
"The European totalitarian-liberal elite clearly fears a return of conservatives in Europe under the influence of Trump," SVR emphasized, adding that "Brussels does not spare resources in its attempts to implement such a scenario."
"After an attack on Georgescu, it is very likely that the European liberal mainstream will make new attempts to stifle dissent in the EU. Their main target will be Hungary, as a bastion of European conservatism, and a good pretext will be the parliamentary elections in the country next year," concludes SVR.
Ciolacu's Reaction
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu immediately reacted and wrote on Facebook that "the fact that a secret service of Russia positions itself against decisions of the Romanian authorities is intolerable."
"Russia cannot dictate to Romanian authorities whom to investigate and whom not to.
Russia cannot dictate whom Romanians should elect and whom not.
Russia cannot be a model of good democratic practices. Russia is a country where political opponents are tortured, thrown into prisons, or killed.
In short: in Russia, human rights and democracy are a bad joke!" Ciolacu further stated.
The Head of the Executive specifies that, "beyond political rhetoric, Romanians have the opportunity to directly understand who are the forces trying to undermine Romania's European and Euro-Atlantic path."
Romania's Reaction
Subsequently, a reaction also came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifies that the recent statements of the Russian services are ridiculous and completely inappropriate. These are part of the series of hybrid actions carried out by the Russian Federation to undermine democracy in Romania."
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this set of activities, which includes public messages, influence campaigns, and interference with democratic processes, is intended to diminish trust in authorities and criticize Romania's membership in the EU and NATO.
"At the same time, these allegations are part of Russian efforts to build a narrative addressed to its own public, considering that Russia does not have a space for free debate or free elections. There, any opposition is incarcerated or assassinated. Criticisms of the EU or Romania also serve to divert attention from these realities," the MAE adds.
Why Was Călin Georgescu Indicted
The General Prosecutor's Office announced last week the initiation of criminal proceedings against Călin Georgescu.
The offenses attributed to the candidate for the highest office in the state are:
- incitement to actions against the constitutional order;
- communication of false information;
- continuous false statements (regarding the sources of campaign financing and asset declarations);
- initiation or establishment of an organization with a fascist, racist, or xenophobic character, joining or supporting, in any form, such a group;
- public promotion of the cult of persons guilty of committing crimes of genocide against humanity and war crimes and the act of promoting, in public, fascist, Legionary, racist, or xenophobic ideas, concepts, or doctrines
- initiation or establishment of an anti-Semitic organization, joining or supporting, in any form, such an organization.
It is noted that Georgescu stated that he spent ZERO lei on the presidential campaign, but various press investigations, as well as declassified CSAT documents, show that the actual invested amounts amount to millions of euros.
Călin Georgescu was placed under judicial control by prosecutors for a period of 60 days.
He appeared, on Monday, at the headquarters of the Sector 1 Court, where the appeal he lodged against the judicial control measure was to be judged.
The court postponed a decision to Wednesday, and the candidate had another opportunity to accuse a politically motivated case.
"I still say that I am innocent, that it is a politically orchestrated case. It is certain and natural, I am at the moment when, after so many decades, the system thought it was invincible. At the moment when the people prove they have the power and have risen from the ashes. Of course, things are on the same formula, which we see very eloquently also with President Trump in the United States, with everything he has suffered in two years," said Călin Georgescu upon leaving the court.