Romanian prosecutors on Friday called for the arrest of a mercenary who kept a large cache of illegal weapons and millions of dollars and gold bars at home and had links to the far-right front-runner in last year’s canceled presidential election.
Former French Foreign Legion soldier Horatiu Potra, who has served as a military contractor in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is an associate of far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, who improbably won the first round of a presidential ballot in November.
Prosecutors say Potra constantly gave Georgescu cash and provided him with a luxury Mercedes leased from the Tiriac Groupe.
The election was annulled in December on suspicion of Russian interference, which Moscow denies. The decision has been criticized by members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration who see it as an example of stopping a hard-right candidate who is unpalatable to the political mainstream.
A rerun will take place in May in which Georgescu is expected to try and run despite being the subject of a criminal investigation on charges including undermining the constitutional order and anti-Semitism.
Prosecutors said they were investigating a total of 21 suspects including Potra on charges including illegal weapons possession and attempts to threaten national security, offenses which carry prison terms of up to 20 years.
The general prosecutor ordered the start of a criminal investigation against the 21 suspects on Friday and asked the supreme court to arrest the suspects for 30 days, prosecutors said in a statement.
During 47 raids at addresses of people with ties to Georgescu, prosecutors found a large cache of weapons including grenade launchers, and more than three million dollars and large sums of other currencies which were hidden in a safe under the floorboards.
“I will admit to illegal possession (of weapons) but …..I want to say that … rather than die legally it is better to live illegally,” Potra said on Wednesday. “Given who is running (Romania) at the moment, Romania (could be) put in a war against Russia at any moment,
it’s better to be prepared.”
Prosecutors this week said they were investigating Georgescu on six counts including membership of a racist organization, promoting war criminals and fascist organizations, and making false statements about campaign financing. He has denied wrongdoing.
Georgescu has praised Romania’s 1930s fascist leaders as patriots and martyrs and expressed admiration for both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump.
Polls put him as the frontrunner ahead of the May vote, although it remains unclear whether he will be allowed to run.
After prosecutors indicted Georgescu, German, French and Dutch ambassadors on Thursday expressed support for Romania and the independence of its courts.
