President Nicușor Dan had his first reaction after the detention of Călin Georgescu. He said that at this moment, the DIICOT accusation has an appearance of truthfulness, but we must respect the presumption of innocence until a judge’s verdict.
The statements were made in New York, after a meeting with representatives of the Romanian community, according to the Presidential Administration.
"From what I have seen in the DIICOT communication, this case has nothing to do with the 2024 elections. It's about a fraud accusation, if I remember the legal classification correctly, and it's DIICOT's duty and responsibility to clarify all the facts. Obviously, we respect the presumption of innocence," stated Nicușor Dan.
When asked if he considers Georgescu a victim, the president replied that the prosecutors' accusation seems credible at this moment, but it needs to be verified by judges.
"At this moment, there is an accusation from DIICOT, which has an appearance - until a possible judgment by a judge, we are discussing appearances. So, at this moment, the DIICOT accusation has an appearance of truthfulness. On the other hand, we are constitutionally obliged to use the presumption of innocence. That's where we stand," said the head of state.
"Understanding, even sympathy"
Nicușor Dan was also asked about the message he has for people who defend Călin Georgescu and consider him a victim of the system. The president replied that he views them "with understanding, even with sympathy," attributing their reaction to a deep lack of trust in the judicial system.
"If we look at the polls, we see that trust in the justice system is either 25% or 30%. This means that those who do not trust the justice system are 70-75%. And then, obviously, it seems that everything is an arrangement, with some strings pulled from who knows where," stated Nicușor Dan.
The head of state reiterated that he can only respect the separation of powers: "In this mandate, I act constitutionally and will continue to act constitutionally."
Călin Georgescu was detained on Monday for 24 hours in a fraud case involving a prejudice of over 1.1 million euros and the formation of a criminal group. Prosecutors are set to present him to the Bucharest Tribunal with a proposal for 30 days of pre-trial arrest.