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BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) \u2014 Romanian prosecutors conducted raids on Saturday linked to a man suspected of illegally financing a campaign to promote Calin Georgescu\u2019s presidential run, a day after the country\u2019s top court annulled the elections in which the far-right candidate had won the first round.<\/p>\n
The raids at three properties in the central city of Brasov were based on suspicions of voter corruption, money laundering and cyber fraud, prosecutors said, and that the funds are suspected of originating from criminal activities.<\/p>\n
The searches come after the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented decision on Friday to cancel the presidential elections<\/a>, after a trove of declassified intelligence on Wednesday alleged Russia organized a sprawling campaign across platforms such as TikTok and Telegram to promote Calin Georgescu<\/a>.<\/p>\n See for yourself \u2014 The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n An official in the prosecutor\u2019s office, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing, told The Associated Press that the searches on Saturday were conducted at properties linked to Bogdan Peschir. Intelligence alleged Peschir was a key player behind a massive TikTok campaign that promoted Georgescu.<\/p>\n The secret services alleged that Peschir paid $381,000 (361,000 euros) to TikTok users to promote Georgescu content on the Chinese-owned platform. Intelligence authorities said information they obtained \u201crevealed an aggressive promotion campaign\u201d to increase and accelerate Georgescu\u2019s popularity.<\/p>\n \u201cThe charge is money laundering in connection with Georgescu\u2019s financing,\u201d the official said. He added Peschir will be brought to the capital Bucharest for questioning.<\/p>\n There is no clear link between Peschir and alleged Russian interference. Russia denies it meddling in Romania.<\/p>\n The court\u2019s published decision to annul the elections cited the illegal use of digital technologies including artificial intelligence, as well as the use of \u201cundeclared sources of funding.\u201d<\/p>\n Without naming Georgescu, the court said one of the 13 candidates in the Nov. 24 first round<\/a> had improperly received \u201cpreferential treatment\u201d on social media, which distorted the outcome of the vote.<\/p>\n Georgescu also denounced the court\u2019s Friday verdict as an \u201cofficialized coup\u201d and an attack on democracy.<\/p>\n Despite being an outsider who declared zero campaign spending, Georgescu emerged as the frontrunner on Nov. 24<\/a>. He was due to face reformist Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party in a runoff on Sunday.<\/p>\n Thirteen candidates ran in the first round<\/a> presidential vote in this European Union and NATO member country, and has been gripped by myriad controversies since the first round. New dates will be set to rerun the presidential vote from scratch.<\/p>\n In a televised statement Friday, President Klaus Iohannis said he was \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d by the contents of the intelligence reports, which indicated one candidate\u2019s campaign was \u201cunlawfully supported from outside Romania\u201d and was a matter of national security.<\/p>\n \u201cThe same candidate declared zero campaign expenditures, despite running a highly sophisticated campaign,\u201d he said. \u201cIntelligence reports revealed that this candidate\u2019s campaign was supported by a foreign state with interests contrary to Romania\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n Lasconi strongly condemned the court\u2019s decision, saying it was \u201cillegal, immoral, and crushes the very essence of democracy\u201d and that the second round should have gone forward.<\/p>\n After Georgescu topped the polls in the first round, his success left many political observers wondering how most local surveys had placed him behind at least five other candidates before the vote.<\/p>\n Many observers attributed his success to his TikTok account, which now has 6 million likes<\/a> and 541,000 followers. But some experts suspected Georgescu\u2019s online following was artificially inflated while Romania\u2019s top security body alleged he was given preferential treatment by TikTok<\/a> over other candidates.<\/p>\n In a separate case on Saturday, prosecutors raided nine other properties in six counties investigating alleged extremists groups accused of \u201cpromoting violence or hatred against individuals based on their ethnicity, sexual orientation, or political opinions\u201d related to the elections.<\/p>\n Prosecutors said they were investigating messages inciting violence against a presidential election candidate or their supporters, and the promotion of fascist, racist, or xenophobic ideologies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nTrusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox<\/h4>\n