Romanian top court moves mercenary leader Horațiu Potra to house arrest in coup case

Release decision

The High Court of Cassation and Justice (ÎCCJ) admitted Potra's appeal against the 10 June ruling of the Bucharest Court of Appeal and ordered his immediate release from preventive detention. He will serve house arrest at his residence in Mediaș, Sibiu county, from 17 June to 16 July 2026.

“Orders the replacement of the measure of preventive detention with the preventive measure of house arrest for defendant Potra Horațiu for a period of 30 days, starting from 17 June 2026 until 16 July 2026, inclusive.”

Potra must wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, present himself whenever summoned, and is barred from communicating with any of the other 21 defendants, including Călin Georgescu. He is also prohibited from possessing, using or carrying weapons. The court warned that any breach in bad faith could return him to preventive custody.

The allegations

The case traces back to December 2024, when the Constitutional Court annulled the presidential elections on 6 December. According to the indictment, on the morning of 7 December Călin Georgescu met Potra clandestinely at an equestrian complex in Ciolpani, Ilfov county. Prosecutors say the meeting set in motion a plan by Potra and his mercenary group to infiltrate protests that erupted after the annulment, aiming to create chaos and destabilise the state.

Potra was arrested in Dubai in September 2025 and consented to be brought back, which expedited the procedure. He arrived in Romania on 20 November 2025 alongside his son and nephew, and was placed in preventive detention. He was later indicted on charges of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order, breaching arms and explosives laws, and public incitement.

Upcoming trial

The court's decision comes two days before a critical hearing on 19 June, when the High Court is expected to rule whether the trial on the merits can begin. Potra, Georgescu and 20 other defendants face the same case file. The 19 June session had previously been postponed, most recently from 4 June.

Earlier, the ÎCCJ also lifted judicial control measures against Potra's son Dorian and nephew Alexandru, both of whom had fled to Dubai with him after the charges were filed.

Reactions

Outside the penitentiary, Potra told reporters he had not cooperated with prosecutors to incriminate others.

“We don’t make any denouncements, we don’t deal with such things.”

He also thanked what he called honest judges and left an open political warning.

“Thank you to the honest judges. If not today, not tomorrow, one day we will find out who annulled the elections in Romania.”