TikTok influencers flee Romania amid tax probe into their election role

BUCHAREST — Romanian TikTok influencers who helped propel an ultranationalist, pro-Putin candidate to the brink of the presidency have fled the country, pursued by tax authorities investigating their alleged role in swaying the election. 

Independent candidate Călin Georgescu was virtually unheard of inside his own country when he won the first round of the presidential election last month.

He had been due to face centrist rival Elena Lasconi in the runoff for the presidency on Dec. 8, but evidence of widespread interference and a TikTok influence operation — allegedly orchestrated from Russia — prompted Romania’s Constitutional Court to annul the entire election.

In the days since, Romanian authorities have mounted a series of raids on Georgescu’s supporters, rounding up mercenaries allegedly found with weapons in their cars and searching property owned by one of his biggest backers.

Tax authorities launched an investigation after a referral from Romania’s electoral authority, which requested a closer examination of the financial transactions linked to the campaign. Georgescu himself is also a focus of the inquiry, the authorities confirmed.

The TikTok influencers — some with ties to organized crime — say they departed Romania just a few days before the financial investigations were opened. They posted images of land borders or airplanes, accompanied by captions like “farewell” and “missing you.” 

The influencers’ role in the election surfaced after President Klaus Iohannis declassified a trove of intelligence documents detailing a sophisticated campaign on TikTok last week. The files exposed links between the influencers and Georgescu’s pro-Russia campaign.

Georgescu had said he was “honored” to be supported by the organized crime figures and the other influencers, hinting he could pardon them if he becomes president.

The influencers are accused of receiving substantial payments to promote pro-Georgescu content. Their messages echoed the candidate’s nationalist rhetoric, blending anti-establishment themes with promises of sovereignty and traditional Romanian values.

“This investigation will also assess any causal links between those payments and a particular candidate in the Romanian presidential election,” said Toni Greblă, the head of the electoral office, about the tax probes.

One key figure under investigation is Bogdan Peșchir, who allegedly funded the influencers on TikTok with €1 million. Last week, authorities raided three locations linked to Peșchir, seizing $7 million in cryptocurrency as part of the investigation.

As more details about Georgescu’s background surfaced following the first round of the election, several of these influencers began distancing themselves from his campaign. After the intelligence documents were made public, some admitted to promoting Georgescu in exchange for payment but claimed they did not know who the candidate was until after the first round. 

Georgescu, who openly embraced pro-Russian stances during his campaign, officially declared zero campaign expenses. However, intelligence documents revealed that TikTok influencers played a central role in a covert, multi-million-euro effort to amplify his messaging. Authorities believe the campaign is connected to Russian “hybrid attacks” that targeted Romania’s electoral process during the election.

Last week, the European Commission ordered TikTok to preserve data linked to potential risks during the Romanian elections and upcoming EU elections, amid concerns of foreign interference and disinformation.

Analysts say the disinformation campaign in Romania resembles what happened in Moldova during presidential election and a referendum on EU accession, when a Russia-linked operation used a similar strategy to try to sway voters toward a pro-Moscow candidate. 

The financial investigations are unfolding alongside other criminal investigations by prosecutors connected to the election.