Beny Steinmetz arrested, released in Athens

Beny Steinmetz credit: Reuters Denis Balibouse
Beny Steinmetz credit: Reuters Denis Balibouse

Steinmetz's attorney Stavros Togias said, "It is unprecedented for the rule of law in Greece, or any other respected country, for such an administrative act to overturn a decision of the Greek judiciary, which had definitively and irrevocably ruled against his extradition to Romania, recognizing his right to travel freely."

Israeli businessman Beny Steinmetz was arrested yesterday at Athens airport on a warrant issued in Romania where he has been convicted on land fraud. Steinmetz has been released from detention but is prohibited from leaving Greece. "Reuters" reports that the businessman was arrested last night several hours after landing in his private jet at Athens international airport.

Steinmetz's representative said, "The Greek legal system has already ruled finally and irreversibly against extraditing Steinmetz to Romania. Mr. Steinmetz has been released until the issue is officially arranged."

Steinmetz's attorney Stavros Togias said, "It is unprecedented for the rule of law in Greece, or any other respected country, for such an administrative act to overturn a decision of the Greek judiciary, which had definitively and irrevocably ruled against his extradition to Romania, recognizing his right to travel freely."

Steinmetz was arrested a year ago also on a warrant issued against him by the Romanian authorities. The Greek court of appeals in Athens ruled that his right to a fair trial had been violated in Romania and he was released. Steinmetz's representative also said, "The court acknowledged the risk that Steinmetz would be exposed to discriminatory, inhuman and degrading treatment if he were extradited, and found political motives behind his persecution. As a result, Mr. Steinmetz received the right to travel freely and without restrictions, without being subjected to behavior that harms his dignity or defames his business reputation, as happened during his arrest by the authorities at the international airport in Athens last night."

His representative added that six European countries had rejected the legal claims of the Romanian judicial system, so that the arrest warrant issued by the Romanian authorities for his extradition was declared null and void by Interpol, Greece, Italy and Cyprus as well as other partners in the process, whose arrest warrants were not carried out in France, Belgium and Malta.

Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 14, 2024.

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2024.

Beny Steinmetz credit: Reuters Denis Balibouse
Beny Steinmetz credit: Reuters Denis Balibouse
Chinese ship in Suez Canal credit: Suez Canal Authority Direct shipping to Israel could resume soon

The first shipments of vehicles are likely to reach Israel via the Suez Canal in the coming months.

Sde Dov credit: Guy Yehieli Sde Dov land prices down over 40%

Four huge tenders for almost 4,000 homes, which have been successfully marketed in the north Tel Aviv district, reflect prices over 40% lower than in 2022.

Wix president Nir Zohar credit: Alan Tzatzkin Wix provides cautious 2025 guidance after strong 2024

The Israeli website building platform company reported its first-ever GAAP operating profit in 2024.

Saar Yoskovitz and Gal Shaul  / Photo: Augury Israeli industrial AI co Augury raises $75m

The new round represents an increase in valuation for Augury, which maintains its position as a ‘unicorn’ startup.

Eitan Yochananof and Eyal Ravid credit: Eyal Izhar and Tali Bogdanovsky Regulator indicts Victory, Yochananof CEOs over price fixing

The Israel Competition Authority today issued first indictments, following the food price fixing investigation.

Shekel credit: Shutterstock Vladirina 32 Shekel gains continue as Gaza talks progress

The shekel continues to trade at its strongest levels against the dollar since early 2023.

New York credit: Shutterstock Tel Aviv - New York fares stay high despite US airlines return

Ticket prices to the US will continue to cost at least $1,200 return, according to Ophir Tours, with most fares ranging between $1,500 and $2,000, or even more.

Greenfield Partners team credit: Eyal Toueg Greenfield Partners closes $400m third fund

The funds were raised from institutional investors in Israel, the US, Europe and Asia and brings the total funds under management to more than $1 billion.

Blockaid founders Ido Ben-Natan and Raz Niv credit: Liron Weissman Israeli onchain security co Blockaid raises $50m

Blockaid protects the largest companies building onchain, including Coinbase, Metamask, Stellar, Uniswap, and World App.

Air Haifa  credit: ATR Air Haifa to launch Paphos flights

New Israeli airline Air Haifa will launch a new route between Haifa and Paphos in Cyprus on April 3, 2025 with six weekly flights.

Bladeranger Deepsolar credit: PR Bladeranger divests Deepsolar to Painreform in strategic move

Deepsolar, acquired by Bladeranger in early 2023, is a sophisticated software solution designed to optimize the management of photovoltaic solar energy fields.

Traffic jam on the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv credit: Shutterstock Tender issued for operating Tel Aviv congestion charge

Minister of Transport Miri Regev has dropped her opposition to the project, reportedly in exchange for financing railways to Kiryat Shmona and Eilat.

Ilya Sutskever credit: Cadya Levy Ilya Sutskever's SSI raising money at $30b valuation - report

The AI startup founded last year by OpenAI founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, is in talks to raise money at a company valuation of over $30 billion, "Bloomberg" reports.

Dina Ben Tal Ganancia  credit: Guy Kushi & Yariv Fein El Al stock still rising despite return of foreign airlines

The Israeli carrier's share price has risen 35% since the start of the year and some analysts predict further gains.

NIS 200 bills credit: Tali Bogdanovsky Reduction in cash holdings after NIS 200 bill abolishment talk

Since September 2024 there has been a dramatic decline in the number of NIS 200 bills held by the public relative to the number of NIS 100 bills, according to Bank of Israel data.

Teva CEO Richard Francis credit: Elad Malka Teva CEO responds to 25% share price fall

Richard Francis said that the question is no longer whether Teva will survive but whether it can grow more.

Twitter Facebook Linkedin RSS Newsletters גלובס Israel Business Conference 2018