Romanian Supreme Court frees Horațiu Potra from house arrest under judicial control

Supreme Court decision and judicial control terms

Romania's High Court of Cassation and Justice ruled definitively on 3 September 2026 to release mercenary leader Horațiu Potra from house arrest, placing him under judicial control for 60 days. The ruling upheld an appeal by Potra and overturned a 26 August decision by the Bucharest Court of Appeal, which had mandated that he remain confined to his home for up to 60 days. Potra had contested that order as excessively severe, asking the court for milder restrictions or an outright lifting of preventive measures. Under the new 60-day judicial control regime, Potra is freed from home confinement but cannot leave Romania without judicial permission, must check in weekly with police, and is prohibited from contacting witnesses or any of the other defendants in the case.

Indictment and constitutional charges

The General Prosecutor's Office indicted Potra alongside former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu and 20 other defendants for alleged actions aimed at destabilizing the Romanian state. Potra faces charges including attempted actions against the constitutional order, non-compliance with the legal regime governing weapons and ammunition, non-compliance with the explosives regime, unauthorized operations with pyrotechnics, and public incitement. Georgescu stands accused of complicity in the attempt against the constitutional order as well as the continuous dissemination of false information. In early August 2026, the High Court issued a final decision confirming that the indictment had successfully cleared the preliminary chamber stage of judicial review.

Alleged plot following cancelled presidential vote

Prosecutors allege that Potra and his mercenary group intended to infiltrate public protests that erupted after the annulment of Romania's December 2024 presidential election in order to cause chaos in the capital. The criminal case developed after law enforcement intercepted Potra and several members of his group in traffic in December 2024 while they were travelling toward Bucharest. Investigators point to a planning meeting on 7 December 2024 at an equestrian farm in Ciolpani, Ilfov County, as central to the alleged operation. That gathering was attended by Georgescu, Potra, Eugen Sechila, and Marian Burcea, who served as Georgescu's bodyguard.

Custody timeline and co-defendants

Potra left Romania during the investigation and was apprehended in Dubai in September 2025. Because Romania lacks a bilateral extradition treaty with the United Arab Emirates, procedures were expedited after Potra consented to his return. Romanian authorities escorted Potra, his son Dorian Potra, and his nephew Alexandru Potra back to the country on 20 November 2025. Dorian and Alexandru Potra, both charged with attempted actions against the constitutional order, spent five months between preventive custody and house arrest before being placed under judicial control on 2 April 2026. The High Court subsequently revoked their judicial control entirely, lifting all restrictions including their travel bans. Horațiu Potra remained in preventive detention until 17 June 2026, when the High Court transferred him to house arrest under electronic bracelet monitoring, a measure that ended with the 3 September ruling.