Prosecutors demand preventive arrest in absentia of Horatiu Potra, his son and brother

Prosecutors of the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice are requesting preventive detention for 30 days for Horațiu Potra, his son and brother, as well as for 18 other people, who have already been detained for 24 hours, after being charged with attempted criminal acts against the constitutional order, in the case in which, on Wednesday, searches were carried out at the homes of Călin Georgescu’s relatives. Horațiu Potra, his son and brother have not been found and there is information that they are not in the country.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice (PICCJ) released new details on Thursday evening regarding the case in which 47 searches were conducted in the counties of Sibiu, Mureș, Timiș, Ilfov, and Cluj.

“Following the hearings conducted on February 26 and 27, 2025, the prosecutor handling the case from the Criminal Prosecution Section of the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice has today initiated criminal proceedings against 21 defendants and ordered the detention of 18 of them for the following offenses:

• Attempted actions against the constitutional order, as per Article 32 in relation to Article 397(2) of the Criminal Code
• Violation of weapons and ammunition regulations, as per Article 342(2) of the Criminal Code
• Unauthorized operations with pyrotechnic articles, as per Article 37(a) of Law No. 126/1995 (republished)
• Public incitement, as per Article 368(1) of the Criminal Code

All charges apply under Article 38(1) of the Criminal Code,” the statement said.

Additionally, the prosecutor has submitted a request for preventive detention for 30 days for the 18 detained defendants, as well as for three additional defendants in absentia.

According to Digi24, the three individuals for whom arrest has been requested in absentia are Horațiu Potra, his son Dorian Potra, and his brother Alexandru Potra.

The arsenal discovered by prosecutors during searches The prosecutors who conducted dozens of searches on Wednesday in the case targeting close associates of Călin Georgescu, including Horaţiu Potra, found a veritable arsenal: dozens of lethal weapons, magazines, grenades, launchers and machine guns. Large sums of cash were also discovered – 3,300,000 dollars, 700,000 lei – as well as 24 kilograms of gold in the form of ingots.

“Following the 47 searches conducted on Wednesday by the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice and the Romanian Police, the following items were discovered and seized:

• Over 25 kilograms of gold (ingots)
• More than 3.3 million US dollars
• Over 700,000 lei
• 43,000 euros
• 13,000 dirhams
• 21,000 Serbian dinars
• More than 40 magazines (for lethal firearms of various calibers)
• 51 grenades (military, offensive/defensive)
• 44 rocket launcher rounds
• 21 lethal pistols (mostly 9x19mm caliber)
• 7 lethal machine pistols/rifles (7.62mm and 7.65mm calibers)
• Over 20 boxes/packages/bags of live ammunition
• 6 firearm components
• 4 explosive materials
• Two grenade launchers
• A detonating fuse
• A rifle scope
• And other items,” stated a press release issued by the Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday.

The raids took place at addresses in the counties of Sibiu, Mureş, Ilfov, Timiş and Cluj, at the homes of Călin Georgescu’s close associates. Searches were conducted at the homes of 27 people and at four company headquarters. One of the people searched was the mercenary Horaţiu Potra, a politician from Mediaş.

In his house, in a safe embedded under the floor, packages with stacks of dollars were discovered, the politician saying that the law does not oblige him to keep his money in the bank. Numerous weapons were also discovered at Potra’s, he declaring that he “assumes” the non-compliance with the Armenian regime and the ammunition and refusing to make any further comments regarding the illegally possessed weapons.

“Rather than dying legally, it is better to live illegally,” said Potra.

The case concerns crimes of initiating or establishing an organization with a fascist, racist or xenophobic character, as well as joining or supporting, in any form, such a group, promoting, in public, the cult of persons guilty of committing crimes of genocide against humanity and war crimes, as well as spreading, in public, fascist, legionary, racist or xenophobic ideas, concepts or doctrines.

Within the same case, prosecutors are also investigating the initiation or establishment of an organization with an anti-Semitic character, but crimes of joining or supporting, in any form, such an organization, public incitement, false statements regarding the sources of financing of the electoral campaign, communication of false information, actions against the constitutional order, failure to comply with the weapons and ammunition regime and any operations with pyrotechnic articles, carried out without permission.

Investigators state that the vast operation “aimed at documenting and investigating the criminal activities of the targeted individuals, proving criminal connections, and identifying goods and documents used in the criminal activity.”

Călin Georgescu, taken for hearings on Wednesday for trafficking, taken to hearings and charged with actions against the constitutional order, communicating false information, repeatedly making false statements regarding the sources of financing for the electoral campaign and declaring assets, claims that the investigation targeting him “reminds him of the communist mentality and system of the 1950s.”

Among those questioned in the case is former Foreign Legion mercenary Eugen Sechila, who was arrested with a warrant at Henri Coandă Airport in the capital, from where he was to board a domestic flight to Oradea.