CAB: Călin Georgescu, tried for complicity in the attempt to change the constitutional order by violence

The preliminary chamber panel of the Bucharest Court of Appeal (CAB) confirmed yesterday the legality of the evidence and the notification of the court and decided to start the trial in which Călin Georgescu and 21 other people will be tried for what the press called the "coup attempt" orchestrated shortly after the annulment of the presidential elections in December 2024. In practice, the CAB decision marks the official transition from the phase of accusations and suspicions to that of direct confrontation in court, in a file that has been on the public agenda for months and fueled one of the the most tense political periods in recent years.

The judges' decision comes after the defense tried, in the preliminary chamber stage, to challenge the legality of the evidence and the way in which the indictment was drawn up, but the court fully validated the approach of the prosecutors from the General Prosecutor's Office, confirming that the file can proceed on the merits, which represents a first signal that the accusations are not considered superficial or unfounded, even if the final verdict remains far and uncertain.

We note that the CAB's decision is not final and can be appealed to the High Court of Cassation and Justice within three days of communication, which opens a new procedural front and maintains the high tension around the case, especially since the legal stakes are doubled by a political one, given that the name of Călin Georgescu has been constantly associated, in recent months, with radical speeches and positions that have strongly polarized public opinion.

Moreover, Călin Georgescu's lawyer stated: "The preliminary chamber procedure before the Bucharest Court of Appeal has been completed. The conclusions were what they were. We saw the judge's conclusion, we are not commenting. An interlocutory and non-definitive conclusion. We will file an appeal with the supreme court. We will see what happens. Until a solution is ordered, there are all chances. Let's see the conclusion at the final moment of the stage".

Upon leaving the Bucharest Court of Appeal headquarters, Călin Georgescu said: "We are convinced that justice must be the foundation of society and see the truth, not be the roof of abuse".

According to the indictment, Călin Georgescu is accused of complicity in attempted actions against the constitutional order and of communicating false information in a continuous form, while other defendants in the case, the most important of which is Horaţiu Potra, are also accused of acts related to the regime of weapons, ammunition and explosive materials, elements that investigators presented as part of a broader plan, which would have aimed to destabilize state institutions at a time of maximum vulnerability, immediately after the cancellation of the presidential elections on December 6, 2024.

We note that this is the first time that a former candidate for the highest office in the state has come before the court in a case that directly targets the constitutional order, and the trial could become a major test for the Romanian judiciary, forced to simultaneously manage media pressure, political tensions and the legal complexity of the case.

The trial entering the trial phase on the merits means that, if the CAB decision is upheld by the High Court, in the following period the court will analyze in detail the evidence collected by the prosecutors, will hear witnesses and will evaluate the accusations point by point, which transforms the file into one of the most closely watched trials in Romania, with a potential major impact on the political scene, especially given that any development in this case is immediately amplified in the public space.