Former Romanian President Traian Basescu (2004-2014) commented last night to Digi 24 TV that the goals of the group of suspected treason are very close to the goals of presidential candidate Calin Georgescu, BTA reported.
In this regard, the former head of state indicated that the authorities must show what the connection is between them and who Calin Georgescu really is.
This morning, prosecutors from the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism detained six people on charges of forming a criminal group and treason. According to the special prosecutor's office, the six negotiated with Russian agents about Romania's withdrawal from NATO and had multiple contacts with "agents of a foreign power" both in Romania and Russia. The criminal organization had a military-type structure, and its head was a reserve general - 101-year-old Radu Teodoru, the special prosecutor's office announced.
According to former Romanian President Traian Basescu, there may be a connection between the group accused of treason and the far-right politician Calin Georgescu, who won the first round of last year's annulled presidential election.
“This is not something that I know, but it is very likely that if General Teodoru's group aimed to change the state order in Romania, they were on the same page with Calin Georgescu and had in mind having a candidate for president, a candidate who would win and who could implement their plan to replace everything that they believe needs to be replaced - i.e. dissolution of the parties, change of name, change of anthem, exit from NATO“, Traian Basescu told Digi 24 and noted that these are desires, as Calin Georgescu has also expressed on various occasions.
“So Calin Georgescu's goals do not differ from those of this group“, the former president of Romania told Digi 24.
Basescu called on the Romanian state authorities to bring maximum clarity to the issue and pointed out that “this is an operation that the services owe to the Romanians“.
Traian Basescu also said that “there is no doubt that the group (around General Radu Teodoru) was supported by the Russians“.
According to him, it is also important to clarify the scale of the operation in question network.
„Our security structures must go all the way, because look, there are military, reservists in Georgescu's group, and there are reservists in this Teodoru group (…)“, Traian Basescu noted.
The former president of Romania said that it is the duty of the security structures to show who Georgescu is and what his goal is if he becomes president.
„If all these bodies, which are full of generals and supposed patriots, cannot give us a clear picture that Georgescu is involved in actions against the state, it will be very difficult to ban him from running, because there will remain a significant percentage of the population that will feel nostalgic for Georgescu and we will not have peace in the country“, Traian Basescu commented.
The Romanian Prosecutor General's Office filed six charges against Calin Georgescu last month, including for incitement to act against the constitutional order; initiating or forming an organization of a fascist, racist or xenophobic nature; public propaganda of a cult of persons guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes; initiating or forming an organization of an anti-Semitic nature; submitting false declarations. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, Calin Georgescu prepared a plan to destabilize Romania after the canceled presidential elections.
Georgescu was detained by the police on February 26, questioned at the Prosecutor General's Office for over five hours, after which he was charged. The authorities imposed a measure of judicial control on him for a period of 60 days, a ban on leaving the country without permission from the court and a ban on publishing content of a legionnaire, fascist, anti-Semitic, racist or xenophobic nature on social networks.
On December 6 of this year Romania's Constitutional Court has annulled the results of the first round of presidential elections won by Georgescu, citing suspicions of Russian interference. Moscow denies the allegations, and Georgescu insists he is not a "pro-Russian" candidate. The court ordered the entire election process to start over, and the ruling coalition has called new presidential elections in May.
Calin Georgescu, backed by two nationalist parliamentary parties, has announced he will run again for president. He is expected to file his candidacy tomorrow.