Former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu has paid the fine of 200,000 lei (around 40,000 euros) imposed by the Permanent Electoral Authority for violating the legislation regarding the financing of the 2024 electoral campaign.
The information was confirmed for News.ro by the President of the AEP, Adrian Ţuţuianu. The money goes to the state budget. It is unknown where the funds come from, as Georgescu does not have official income.
The Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) has imposed fines totaling over 1.6 million lei and has confiscated over 19.5 million lei following inspections targeting the financing of parties and electoral campaigns in 2024-2025.
The largest fine that the AEP can impose - 200,000 lei - was applied to former independent candidate Călin Georgescu, who violated multiple legal provisions.
Expert Forum has compiled a report summarizing the sanctions imposed by the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) in 2024 and 2025, both for electoral campaign financing and political funding.
Călin Georgescu violated provisions related to the source of funds, the types of materials that can be used, and the submission of income and expenditure reports, as well as supporting documents.
The AEP has informed both the Police and the General Prosecutor's Office regarding Călin Georgescu's campaign.
Georgescu has received multiple fines, as follows:
- 50,000 lei - art 28 (1) a) electoral campaign expenses must only come from candidate or political party contributions;
- 25,000 lei - art 36 (3) - Electoral competitors are obliged to print the candidate's name, the economic operator, CMF, and circulation on electoral materials, if applicable.
- 25,000 lei - art 36 (32) - Within 30 days from the end of the electoral campaign, electoral competitors are obliged to submit to the AEP a declaration containing information on the description of online electoral propaganda materials, production, period, and space of dissemination.
- 50,000 lei - art.47 para. (1) - Within 15 days from the date of the elections, coordinating financial mandataries are obliged to submit detailed reports to the AEP on electoral revenues and expenses and the amount of debts incurred as a result of the campaign, accompanied by declarations from art. 28 para. (13).
- 50,000 lei - art. 50 para (2) - Political parties and independent candidates are obliged to submit the requested documents to the AEP within 15 days.
In total, the AEP has confiscated 19 million lei, of which 16 million for the European Parliament elections and 2.6 million lei for local elections.
483,000 lei have been confiscated following reports (without being able to identify the type of elections/fund from the analyzed data). From this last category, 455,000 lei are associated with SOS Romania.
How does Călin Georgescu make a living?
Călin Georgescu has been repeatedly asked in recent years about his source of income, especially after suspending his academic activities.
According to his latest asset declaration, Georgescu reported income from teaching at the University of Pitești, around 72,000 lei annually, and bank deposits of approximately 264,000 euros.
However, several publications reported that since November 2024, his employment contract was suspended at his own request, meaning he no longer receives a salary from teaching. This information was officially confirmed by the university.
When directly asked on TV shows how he supports his family and affords expenses like bodyguards, a chauffeured car, or vacations, Georgescu avoided providing concrete explanations. One of his most quoted statements was: "God takes care of us all."
The press noted the contrast between the lack of official income and the publicly displayed lifestyle.
In the public space, accusations and information from investigations have emerged regarding possible financial support from associates or business people.
And now we find out that he had 40,000 euros to pay the fine imposed by the AEP.