Calin Georgescu and his army of bodyguards

December 1, 2024, the day of the Parliamentary elections. When Călin Georgescu, the independent presidential candidate, is on his way to vote alongside his wife at a gymnasium school in the city where he lives. All this time he and his wife are flanked by a group of men. While the entire press focuses on the Georgescu couple, the men providing security appear tense, talking among themselves and scanning the perimeter.

“I voted for good to triumph over evil, for peace, not for war,” declared Călin Georgescu upon leaving the polling station, after which he exited, flanked and escorted by these men.

The coordinator of Călin Georgescu’s security team is Marin Burcea, a former elite marksman and corporal in the French Foreign Legion, according to information obtained by RISE Project.

Promoted by Romanian television under the nickname “the sniper,” Burcea, 30, is born in Constanța, the biggest city at the Black Sea. He started appearing in tabloid media after getting involved with Tania Budi, the former TV star, and launching a business with a modeling agency.

Burcea was part of commando team in French Guiana, Brazil, and Mali. According to our sources, he also participated in paramilitary camps organized by Eugen Sechila, a leader of the neo-legionary movement in Romania and a close associate of the Georgescu family.

Burcea appears in photographs alongside Sechila and several other individuals dressed in military attire. The photos were posted on the Facebook page of the Gogu Puiu and Haiducii Dobrogei Association, founded in memory of the former legionnaire and anti-communist fighter Gogu Puiu and led by Sechila and his partner.

Oana Marinescu, a former journalist, revealed yesterday on her Facebook account that Eugen Sechila accompanied Călin Georgescu to Marius Tucă’s show and was present backstage alongside the show’s host and guest.

Eugen Sechila is one of the leaders of the Gogu Puiu and Haiducii Dobrogei Association, which Hotnews reported was banned in Romanian schools after it was discovered to be spreading legionary propaganda. Videos posted on social media show that the messages conveyed at these camps went even further, including speeches praising dictators like Hitler and Mussolini.

“In the first ten years, both Mussolini and Hitler got their countries back on their feet. Everyone envied them, but then they went off track. And the thing with the Jews—everyone says it, we ask: what did they have against the Jews? What did they have? For hundreds of years, they did what they know how to do— infiltrate everywhere. Why does no one explain this? What did they have against the Jews? Just because they put Jesus on the Cross? I don’t think so,” is heard one of the participants during one of the camps. While praising the dictators, Sechila is seen next to the man listening to the speech.

“THE NEST”. The association is headquartered on Veseliei Street in Bucharest, in a house built in 2010 by the “Everything for the Country” Party – a name borrowed from the interwar legionary political movement. The house was later transferred to the Ion Gavrilă Ogoranu Foundation, which shares the same leadership as the party that built it.

Eugen Sechila is not just a bodyguard for Călin Georgescu but also one of his supporters.

At least, that’s what emerges from messages sent on the association’s Telegram channel and attributed to Sechila.

July 25, 2024. On the Haiducii Dobrogei Telegram channel, over 500 users receive a message attributed to Eugen Sechila, in which he announces his support for Georgescu’s candidacy.

“His political and economic vision, along with his diplomatic career, make him the statesman that Romania needs.”

September 6, 2024. A new announcement is posted on the Telegram channel. Group members are informed that a signature collection campaign is starting and that experts are needed in polling stations “so that we are not cheated.”

October 1, 2024. Those who participated in gathering signatures receive thanks and appreciation.

“The result matched our efforts. Beyond the number, which far exceeded the minimum required for validation (272,000), the quality of our work impressed the commission that reviewed the signatures.”

October 14, 2024. A message attributed to Călin Georgescu is posted on the Telegram channel.

“My dear ones, I want to thank you (…) Because you are part of this CALL for change, you have proven that you love your country as much as I do.”

Eugen Sechila has appeared in multiple photographs alongside Călin Georgescu in recent years at various events attended by members of the Gogu Puiu Association. He also appeared in an interview on Cristela Georgescu’s YouTube channel, where the two discussed education and survival for three hours. This video was promoted on other Telegram channels linked to another organization—Frăția Ortodoxă (The Orthodox Brotherhood), which previously supported AUR (Alliance for the Union of Romanians )and its leader, George Simion, before shifting its support to Georgescu.

On November 24, the day of the first round of the presidential election, over 3,000 users on the The Orthodox BrotherhoodTelegram channel were scolded in an audio message for not following instructions and failing to mobilize in support of George Simion.

“I want it to be clear for those who did not obey what I said and voted for someone other than George Simion, as we agreed, that you actually voted for Lasconi or Ciolacu—whoever makes it to the second round. Take responsibility for this, those of you who did not obey.”

As soon as the election results showed Călin Georgescu gaining momentum, the coordinator of the Telegram group shifted his support to him, actively promoting Georgescu through videos, photos, and messages.

The last message in support of Călin Georgescu on the Telegram channel was posted on December 4—the same day when reports from SRI (Romanian Intelligence Service), SIE (Foreign Intelligence Service), and CSAT (Supreme Council of National Defense) were declassified regarding interference during the elections. The documents stated that a carefully planned operation had been carried out, exhibiting “the modus operandi of a state actor” and acting in favor of Georgescu.

In a video published on the The Orthodox Brotherhood Telegram channel, Călin Georgescu appears inside a church, bowing before an icon. He then turns to the camera and claims that unknown forces have begun an assault against faith.

“Today is the battle of Archangel Michael against Satan!”

The Orthodox Brotherhood has actively promoted Sechila’s speeches about a return to traditional values and a reset of Romanian society—ideas that are also echoed by another figure closely associated with the former Foreign Legion fighter and promoted by this association.

That figure is IPS Teodosie, the leader of the Archdiocese of Tomis, who, according to CNSAS (the National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives), signed a collaboration agreement with the former Securitate under the code name “Mache”.

Teodosie’s ties to members of the French Foreign Legion go deeper that the one with Sechila. He has also crossed paths with Horațiu Potra, a former foreign legion soldier who was investigated for drug trafficking and arrested by organized crime officers led at the time by Commissioner Traian Berbeceanu.

Potra was later sentenced to two years and eight months of suspended prison time for violating firearms and ammunition regulations. In 2012, RISE Project published an investigation revealing that the Romanian Orthodox Church had received illicit funding from Potra. One of the individuals who signed blank documents to facilitate these payments was none other than IPS Teodosie.

During the same period, Horațiu Potra worked as a bodyguard for billionaire Frank Timiș, the founder of the controversial Roșia Montană mining project. In images from 2012, when Timiș returned to Romania for his mother’s funeral, he was accompanied by the former French Foreign Legion fighter.

In 2022, Potra appeared in photographs alongside Valeri Kuzmin, the Russian Ambassador in Romania, and other individuals during Russia Day, celebrated on June 22 at the Russian Embassy in Bucharest.

During the same period, Horațiu Potra posted photos on his Facebook account in which he appears alongside Eugen Sechila and other former comrade-in-arms. Among them is Bâclea Mihai.

The latter, Bâclea Mihai, appears in photographs alongside Călin Georgescu and is also present among the participants in the training camps organized by Eugen Sechila. In these camps, one of the trainers wore a shirt displaying the message:

“Join the Army, Travel to foreign places, Meet exotic people and Kill them.”

During a talk show hosted by Realitatea TV on Wednesday evening, Călin Georgescu stated that he is honored by the support he receives and sees no issue with his associations.

“I have been accused of being supported by former convicts, gangsters, and Roma people. Very well, I am honored by this.”

We requested Călin Georgescu to explain why he requires the protection of former French Foreign Legion fighters, what his relationship with Eugen Sechila is, and how his statements about peace align with being surrounded by mercenaries who have been active in war zones. We have not received a reply until the release of this investigation.

We also reached out to Eugen Sechila, but he has not replied either.

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UPDATE, DECEMBER 23

We have continued identifying individuals who appear in Călin Georgescu’s security detail, alongside Marin Burcea, who regularly escorts the politician.

According to RISE Project information, at least two of them have ties to the French Foreign Legion.

Romeo Mihai Anechiței, 45 years old, has been seen alongside Călin Georgescu on multiple occasions. The first time was on December 1, during the Parliamentary elections. The second was on December 8, when Georgescu went to the Mogoșoaia polling station to protest the Constitutional Court’s decision.

Anechiței appears in a Facebook photo posted by Horațiu Potra, titled “Between Comrades”, in which Eugen Sechila, Bâclea Mihai, and Cătălin Berenghi—all former French Foreign Legion soldiers—can also be seen.

At the start of the last decade, Romeo Anechiței worked as part of the security team in a Disco Club. He was accused in two criminal cases—one for abusive behavior and another for bodily harm after getting into altercations with club customers alongside his colleagues. However, both cases were later dismissed.

When asked about his past, Anechiței dismissed the criminal cases as “a thing of the past”. Regarding his presence in Călin Georgescu’s security team, he said:

“Maybe I was at the wrong place and the wrong time.”

He confirmed that he had a contract with the French Foreign Legion, from which he claims to have left with top conduct marks:

“I have nothing to do with Potra. I was never in Congo. We, the Foreign Legionnaires, are like a family—I’m friends with both Eugen Sechila and Marin Burcea. But I have nothing to do with Gogu Puiu or the old Legionnaires. I have nothing to do with neo-Nazis, extremists, or Corneliu Zelea Codreanu.”

Alexandru Vornicu, alongside Marin Burcea, has been present at most events involving Călin Georgescu. He was captured in photographs on December 8, when Georgescu went to the Mogoșoaia polling station to protest the Constitutional Court’s decision, and more recently at the Bucharest Court of Appeal.

Vornicu is also believed to have ties to the French Foreign Legion. A 2020 social media post on the Legion Etrangere (Foreign Legion) account on X (formerly Twitter) features a photo of him in military uniform.

The image is accompanied by Article 6 of the Legionnaire’s Code of Honor:

“The mission is sacred; you carry it out to the end, even at the risk of your life.”

Efforts to contact Alexandru Vornicu for clarification on his involvement in Georgescu’s security team and his connections to the Foreign Legion have been unsuccessful.

Sorin Chirigiu, former officer of the Romanian Ministry of National Defense (MApN) and a retired Military Justice Colonel, Sorin Chirigiu is a regular presence around Călin Georgescu.

In 2023, Chirigiu sat at the presidium table during the first congress of the Party Romanians for Romania (PRR), where Georgescu was invited to speak. That same year, PRR issued press releases endorsing Georgescu’s presidential candidacy.

A year later, on October 1, 2024, the former retired officer was photographed standing alongside several people, including Eugen Sechila (a former soldier in the French Foreign Legion who had accompanied Călin Georgescu to his meeting with Horațiu Potra). The two were positioned behind Georgescu as he announced his candidacy at the Central Electoral Bureau at the beginning of October.

Two months later, on December 8, Chirigiu appeared alongside Burcea and Vornicu as part of Călin Georgescu’s security team when the politician went to the polling station in Mogoșoaia.

A few days ago, the same Sorin Chirigiu accompanied Georgescu to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, where the politician contested the annulment of the elections following the decision of the Constitutional Court (CCR).

Before supporting Călin Georgescu and being elected secretary-general of PRR (Romanians for Romania Party), the former officer was also involved with the USR Ilfov branch in 2018. He handled the legal affairs of the organization and appeared alongside USR (Save Romania Union Party) members during the signature-gathering campaign for “No Convicted Criminals in Public Office.” During the same period, on one of his Facebook accounts, Sorin Chirigiu promoted a social media group titled Romania without AUR.

The Facebook page description states that it is a “battle group against extremism, impostors, and demagogues! The rise of extremist forces risks derailing Romania’s democratic path, a path paid for with blood in 1989. We don’t want Simions and Șoșocars, Putinist parasites, and mercenaries paid by Russia—we want a civilized, European, prosperous, and educated Romania.”

“In 2018–2019, I doubt I would have made such a post (…) but now things are different. He ( Ed referring to George Simion) has changed his stance compared to previous times,” Sorin Chirigiu explained. Regarding his past involvement with USR and his current support for Călin Georgescu, the former officer stated that he was disappointed with what he found in the Save Romania Union party and “took a step to the left or right like anyone looking to divorce (from a political movement) (…) What led me to support Călin Georgescu was love for the nation and country,” Chirigiu concluded.

Alexandru Gabriel Pîrvan, 37 years old. Pîrvan appeared alongside Marin Burcea, Alexandru Vornicu, and Romeo Mihai Anechiței when Georgescu voted in Mogoșoaia for the parliamentary elections held on December 1st.

From the images captured by the press on-site, it can be observed that he receives instructions from Marin Burcea inside the polling station. Later, photos show that he followed Georgescu from a distance as he exited the polling station.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Alexandru Pârvan is a management expert at the Romanian Counter-Guarantee Fund. His wife is a parliamentary expert within the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP).

AEP President Toni Greblă has been criticized for the way the first round of the Cotroceni elections was organized. Later, several NGOs called for his resignation after photos surfaced from a private party where Toni Greblă appeared alongside individuals close to the AUR party, who are now part of Călin Georgescu’s entourage.

“I saw myself on TV in those images. I ended up there by coincidence, indeed. I am simply a supporter of Mr. Georgescu and nothing more. I am not involved in security; you can check my CV. I don’t know security protocols,” Gabriel Pârvan stated in a phone conversation.

Regarding his interaction with Marin Burcea and the instructions he received from the former French Foreign Legion soldier inside the polling station in Mogoșoaia, Pârvan said: “It was a normal interaction, if I may say so. I met Mr. Burcea there; I didn’t know he was so important. What Mr. Burcea told me remains between him and me. If you believe that a conversation between two people is an instruction or an order, that’s your interpretation.“

Călin Florian Alexandru, 47 years old. According to RISE sources, just like Sorin Chirigiu, he was active within the Ministry of National Defense (MApN), specifically in Unit 01348 – the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion in Bucharest. On December 1st, Florian Alexandru was captured in photographs alongside Burcea and Anechiței while escorting Călin Georgescu as he exited the polling station in Mogoșoaia.

When contacted by phone, he refused to explain the reason for his presence alongside those responsible for Georgescu’s security and whether his presence in Mogoșoaia on December 1st was work-related or not.

“With great pleasure, I kindly ask you to direct your questions to our Public Relations Service. If you know the number, you also know what it’s about. My presence there had nothing to do with the 2nd Infantry Battalion Călugăreni, that’s all I can tell you,” Alexandru stated before hanging up the phone.

We requested a statement from the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of National Defense regarding this situation, asking for clarification on whether Florian Alexandru is an active service member and if his presence around the politician was work-related. However, we have not received a response.