Romania’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has sent businessman Bogdan Peșchir to trial over allegations that he financed the TikTok campaign of former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu. He is accused of bribing voters to support Georgescu.
Prosecutors say that between October 13 and November 27, 2024, Peșchir distributed a total of $290,226 to persuade voters to cast their ballots for the candidate.
The investigation found that he sent 868 “gifts” through TikTok to 105 users. Their total value exceeded $251,000. He also made six cryptocurrency transfers worth more than $39,000 in total to two people.
The indictment says Peșchir worked with highly popular TikTok influencers. Through them, he sent gifts to potential Georgescu voters or transferred money by bank to people willing to publicly show their preference for the candidate and persuade others to support him.
Călin Georgescu, an independent candidate with far-right views, won the first round of Romania’s presidential election on November 24, 2024. The result surprised much of the country because Georgescu had been largely unknown to the general public. His popularity had nevertheless grown online, where hundreds of profiles shared his messages and promoted him.
On December 6, 2024, two days before the scheduled second round, Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the result of the first round. The decision followed information about foreign interference, specifically from Russia. Moscow rejected the accusations, while the court ordered the entire electoral process to start again.
Georgescu was recently arrested for 30 days in a case in which he is accused of fraud involving more than 1 million euros. He has also been sent to trial in two other cases, involving alleged actions against the constitutional order and propaganda of fascist ideology.
Source: 24chasa.bg
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1394 | 9 Oct. 2026 | 19:48
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