The authorities have raided the homes of several TikTok influencers suspected of voter bribery linked to the opposition figures campaign

Romanian prosecutors have launched a sweeping crackdown on supporters of opposition figure Calin Georgescu, detaining a prominent influencer and conducting raids tied to alleged voter bribery during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Georgescu, a critic of NATO, the EU, and aid to Ukraine, won an unexpected first-round victory in last year's election. The results were promptly annulled by Romania's Constitutional Court, citing funding irregularities.

No evidence of wrongdoing by Georgescu has surfaced, but the authorities accused social media influencers of swaying public opinion.

A preliminary investigation reported by the media earlier this year suggested that the "irregularities" may have been caused by a consulting firm linked to the pro-Western National Liberal Party (PNL) which inadvertently helped Georgescu while trying to derail another candidate. Earlier this month, however, Georgescu was briefly detained on six criminal charges, including alleged "voter bribery." The investigation against him is ongoing.

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On Friday, the General Prosecutor's Office said it ordered a preventive arrest of businessman and influencer Bogdan Peschir, accused of financing Georgescu's campaign with nearly $900,000 in digital gifts and transfers.

The Romanian Intelligence Service, in declassified documents cited by local media, including g4media and RomaniaTV, claimed that Peschir used the TikTok account 'bogpr' to donate to creators promoting Georgescu and alleged that a foreign "state actor" may have coordinated the effort.

Peschir has maintained that his donations were personal and voluntary, similar to "Elon Musk supporting [US President Donald] Trump" during last year's presidential election, and denied having any ties to Georgescu's campaign. Peschir's lawyer slammed the arrest, calling it politically motivated.

Peschir's arrest followed 17 raids carried out by Romanian police across Bucharest and nine counties on Thursday targeting influencers who allegedly supported Georgescu. Among them was TikTok personality Makaveli (real name: Alexandru Virgil Zidaru), who is known for his anti-mainstream views and links to right-wing MEP Diana Iovanovici-Sosoaca.

Sosoaca was barred from last year's election after the Constitutional Court ruled that her anti-Western rhetoric and support for closer ties with Russia violated Romania's democratic framework.

READ MORE: Romanian right-wing leader barred from presidential election

Media reports also indicate that the authorities raided the home of Alin Borcan, the self-proclaimed 'king of TikTok', who appeared before the media following the raid with a toy gun, and said the police were "searching for Mr. Georgescu in my drawers."

(RT.com)