Călin Georgescu had business ties with Ceaușescu's former translator, linked to Republica Factory affair

An investigative report reveals business connections between Călin Georgescu and Sergiu Celac, who served as Nicolae Ceaușescu's official translator and later as Romania's Foreign Minister after the 1989 revolution.

According to the investigation by Captura.ro, Georgescu and Celac were colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and were among the founders of a company, Emission Control SA, established in July 2000. This firm specialized in environmental technical consultancy. Notably, an offshore entity from the Cayman Islands, James Cadogan OCTG Limited, was also a co-founder. This offshore company was later implicated in the alleged embezzlement of the Republica Factory in Bucharest, a former state-owned oil pipe manufacturer.

During the early 1990s, Călin Georgescu underwent training in sustainable development strategies and environmental policies in the UK while Sergiu Celac was Romania's ambassador there. Their professional paths converged again when they both took on leadership roles at the National Center for Sustainable Development (CNDD). Celac served as a senior advisor from 2007 to 2013, while Georgescu was the executive director from 1996 to 2012. The CNDD, initially under the Romanian Academy and the UN Development Programme, later became an independent foundation.

Both individuals were also involved with the Romanian branches of the Club of Rome. Sergiu Celac was vice president of the Romanian Association for the Club of Rome from 2000 to 2008. Călin Georgescu led the Club of Rome's European Research Center, based in Vienna, from 2013 to 2015. In 2000, they were also colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with Celac serving as an ambassador-at-large and Georgescu heading the Directorate of Economic Organizations.